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OF

COMPARATIYE ZOOLOGY,

AT HARVARD COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
jFounT)e"D hs prfbale subscription, fn 1861.

The gift of

ZA^ e? -^W^/. aJmAjCoU^cJ^

No. ^yWf^

BULLETIN

ESSEX INSTITUTE,

VOLUME XII.

1880.

SALEM, MASS.
PRINTED AT Till! SALEM I'UESS.

1881.

CONTENTS.

Page.
Regular Meeting, Monday, January 19, 1880, .... 1
D. B. H;igai-, lecture on Spelling Reform, notice of, 1. Remarks by
Prof. E. S. Morse. 3. Explanation of Wilson's Ozone Generator and
Diflfnser, by James KimbalK 3.

Regular Meeting, Monday, February IG, 1880, .... 3

Regular Meeting, Monday, March 1, 1880, i

F. W. Putnam, lecture on the former Indians of Southern California,
as bearing on the origin of the Red Man in America, notice of, 4.

Meeting, Friday, March 11, 1880,

Rev. Robert Colly er, lecture on an Episode in the life of Edward Fair
lax, notice of, 6.

Regular Meeting, Monday, March 15, 1880, ...

Thomas H. Walker, lecture on the Philosophy and Theory of Punish
ment, notice- of, 9.

A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands, with annotations,
by Edgar A. Mearns {continued), 11

Regular Meeting, Monday, April 5, 1880, 26

Remarks of l*rof. Edward S. Morse on the persistence of Korean Art
in Japanese pottery, 2G.

Regular Meeting, Monday, April 19, 1880, 26

Natlian Crosby, lecture on Essex County and Essex County Men, no-
tice of, 27.

Regular Meeting, Monday, May 3, 1880, 27

Annual Meeting, Monday, May 17, 1880, 28

Election of Officers, 28; Remarks by F. W.Putnam, 29; Retrospect of
tlieYear, 30; MiMiibers, 30; Field Aleetings, 32; Excursions, 33; Lec-
tures, 33; Meetings, 3.5; Concerts, 3.j; Library, 'M\; Horticultural
Exhibition, 47; Art Exhibitions, 48; Museum, 52; Publications, 53;
Manuscripts, 53; Financial, 53.

Meeting, Monday, May 24, 1880, 56

An Informal Talk on Sundry Architectural and Art Topics, by
Edward A. Silsbee, 56

Notice of the late Rev. Jones Very, 74

(iii)

IV CONTENTS.

Regular Meeting, Monday, June 21, 1880, 76

llernarks on the death of Mr. Caleb Cooke, by the President, 7fi, Rev.
E. B. Willson. Mr. John Robinson, 78, Dr. Geo. A. Perkins, 79, Mr,
T. F. Hunt, ^0; Resolutions, 80.

Notes on the Flora of Essex County, Mass., with Sketches of the
early Botanists, and a list of the Publications on these sub-
jects, by John Robinson, 81

Field Meeting at the Willows, Salem Neck, Tuesday, June 22,
1880, 98

Arrival of John Winthrop, two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of, 98.

A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands, with annotations;
by Edgar A. Mearns {continued), . . . . . . 109

Regular Meeting, July 5, 1880, 129

Regular Meeting, July 19, 1880, 129

Field Meeting at Bradford, Friday, July 30, 1880, . . .130

Bradford Aondeniy, 130; Hannah Duston INIonunient in Haverhill, 132;
Hiverhiil Public Library, ]:«; Afternoon Session, 131; Remarks of
Dr. Cieorge Cog:s\vell, IH.'J, Kev. ]Mr. Kingsbury, Prof. E. S. Morse, J.
1). Tewksbury, Prof. Hall, Mr. Fisli, John W. Perkins, Mr. Emery,
John Robinson, 13(3.

Field Meeting at Lowell Island, Thursday, Aug. 12, 1880, . . 137

Sketch of Lowell Island, 137; Afternoon Session, 165; Remarks by the
President. 1(5.5, Rev. Sereno D. Gammell. KiG, Mr. H. Saze. 1G7, Dr.
George A. Perkins, KiS, Prof, E. S, Morse, 109, Rev, Joseph Banvard,
170, Mr. N. A. Horton, 170.

The gradual dispersion of certain MoUusks in New England, by
Edward S. Morse, 171

Excursion to New Castle, N. H., Friday and Saturday, Sep-
tember 10 and 11, 1880, 177

Evening Session, 177; Remarks by the President, 177; Account of the
Pueblo Indians of New Rlexico and Arizona, by F. W. Putnam, 178;
the Homestead of Gov. Benning Wentw orth, 181.

BULLETIN

OP THE

ESSEI2: IIsrSTITTJTE.

Vol. 12. Salem, January- June, 1880. Nos. 1-6.

Regular Meeting, Monday, Jan'y 19, 1880.

Meeting this evening. President in the chair. Rec-
ords read. Donations and correspondence announced.

Mrs. Margaret Braden and Arthur West, both of Salem,
were elected resident members.

Vice President, D. B. Haqar, read a paper on ''Spell-
ing Reform,''^ He commenced by saying that it was too
late for sensible men to laugh at the spelling reform. He
named a large number of eminent scholars in England
and in America who are its advocates, and designated
prominent educational bodies who have officially favored
its consideration. He alluded to several well known lead-
ing newspapers as having adopted some of the proposed
new spelling, mentioning the Chicago Tribune, the Utica
Herald, the iV. F. Independent , the Journal of Education
and the Ho7ne Journal, and stated what had been done by
educational associations in behalf of the reform. The
following propositions were then advocated :

(1) That spoken language necessarily precedes written

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. XU 1 (1)

language. (2) That the grand purpose of written lan-
guage is to represent to the eye the spoken language, as
heard by the ear. (3) That the written language should
be so constructed that the transition from the spoken to the
written, and, conversely, from the written to the spoken,
should be simple, uniform, and truthful. (4) That, to
this end, a phonetic system is the most direct, easy, and
rational. (5) That in devising a written language for a
people hitherto without one, no sensible scholar would, at
the present day, think of framing it on any principle
other than the phonetic. (6) That the present orthog-
raphy of the English language is so lawless, so perplex-
ing, so confounding to all rational expectation, that the
learner is compelled, from first to last, to guess at the
pronunciation of every new w^ord he sees ; that he cannot
be certain of correctness until assured by his teachers,
and possibly not even then.

Under this last point, numerous illustrations of irregu-
larity and inconsistence in English spelling were given.
It was shown that the present orthography of the English
language employs sixty-two signs, which have at least
one hundred and fifty-nine uses ; whereas a pure pho-
netic system would, therefore, save a vast amount of time
in learning to read and spell.

Mr. Hagar then proceeded to answer the objections
usually urged against a reform of English orthography,
endeavoring to show that they were of little importance.

The paper closed by answering the question. What can
be done toward accomplishing the desired reform ? Some-
thing could be done in the following ways : (1) By the
general discussion of the subject among teachers and
other friends of education. (2) By establishing spelling-
reform associations throughout the country. (3) By
concert of action among State and County educational

3

associations. (4) By procuring the appointment of Na-
tional and State Commissions to consider and report on
the subject. (5) By personally adopting in our corre-
spondence the spellings recommended by the American
Philological Association. (6) By freely using the pub-
lic press toward setting before the public the objects and
merits of the proposed reform. (7) By teaching the
children in the jpublic schools to read from a phonetic text,
(8) By cherishing the pluck and aggressiveness of ear-
nest reformers.

Prof. E. S. Morse spoke of the Japanese language,
showing that students there had to surmount even greater
obstacles than obtain in the present English system.

Mr. James Kimball exhibited and explained AVilson's
Ozone Generator and Diffuser. This apparatus is intended
to be used in destroying the impurities in the air of close
and poorly ventilated rooms, also the noxious emanations
produced by the decomposition of animal and vegetable
substances. It is a machine holding six small cups partly
filled with water, a stick of prepared phosphorus being
jDlaced in each cup. Upon the ignition of the phosphorus
a cover of porous porcelain is placed over the cups and
the apparatus is prepared to do its w^ork.

Kegular Meeting, Monday, February 16, 1880.

President in the chair. Records read. Donations
and correspondence announced.

At an adjournment on Tuesday, Feb. 17, Charles Top-
pan, of Salem, was elected a member.

The Secretary read a commimication from the American
Academ}^ of Arts and Sciences, inviting the Essex Insti-
tute to select one or more delegates to attend the celebra-
tion of its 100th anniversary to be held in Boston on the
26th of May, 1880.

On motion of Mr. F. W. Putnam, the selection of
delegates was referred to a committee, consisting of the
President and Secretary.

A similar invitation was read from the Minnesota His-
torical Society, which will celebrate the 200th anniversary
of the discovery of the Falls of St. Anthony, on the 3rd
day of July, 1880, to send a representative on that occa-
sion. The subject was referred to the same committee
with power to act.

Regular Meeting, Monday, March 1, 1880.

Meeting this evening. The President in the chair.
Records read. Donations and correspondence announced.

Yice President F. W. Putnam made a communication
of peculiar interest, but of which only a brief abstract of
some portions is here given. His subject was "The former
Indians of Southern California, as bearing on the origin
of the Red Man in America."

After giving an account of the discovery of the Penin-
sula of California, in 1534, by an expedition fitted out by
Cortes, he gave an historical resume of the military ex-
peditions to Upper California, the establishment of the
missions by the Jesuits and Franciscans, and of their de-
grading influence on the Indians.

He then called attention to the facts relating to the
antiquity of man on the Pacific coast, and to the importance

of the discovery in California of human remains and of the
works of man under beds of volcanic material, where they
were associated with the remains of extinct post-pliocene
animals, and to the necessity of looking to this early race
for much that it seems otherwise impossible to account.
He thought that what is called the " Eskimo element," in
the physical characters and arts of the southern Cali-
fornians, was very likely due to the impress from a primi-
tive American stock, w4iich is probably to be found now
in its purest continuation in the Innuit. In this connec-
tion he dwelt upon the probability of more than one type
of man. In following out this argument, he called atten-
tion to the distinctive characters in different tribes of In-
dians on the Pacific coast, and stated his belief that they
had resulted from an admixture of the descendants of dif-
ferent stocks . The Californians of three hundred years ago ,
he thought, were the result of development by contact of
tribe with tribe through an immense period of time, and
that the primitive race of America, which was as likely
autochthonous and of pliocene age, as of Asiatic origin,
had stamped its impress on the people of California. The
early races of America he believed were dolichocepali,
and the short-headed people he thought were made up of
a succession of intrusive tribes in a hio:her stas^e of devel-
opment, which in time overran the greater part of both
North and South America, conquering and absorbing the
long-headed people, or driving them to the least desirable
parts of the continent. He thought that the evidence was
conclusive that California had been the meetin^: o^rouud
of many distinct tribes of the widely spread Mongoloid
stock ; for in no other way could he account for the re-
markable commingling of customs, arts and languages,
and the formation of the large number of petty tribes

that existed in both Upper and Lower California when
first known to the Spaniards.

The speaker then gave a review of the arts of the Cali-
fornians and the physical characters and customs of the
people, showing that, notwithstanding the absence of
pottery, the tribes, when first known, had passed through
the several stages of savagery and had reached the lower
status of barbarism, as defined by Mr. L. H. Morgan in
his "Ethnical periods."

Mr. Putnam concluded by calling attention to the re-
cent explorations of the coast of southern California and
the adjacent islands, by the expedition under Lieut.
Geo. M. Wheeler of the U. S. Engineers, in charge of
the Survey West of the 100th Meridian, and the extended
explorations of the Santa Barbara Islands which had been
conducted by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology at
Cambridge. The results of these explorations, he stated,
were now embodied in the seventh volume of the Eeports
of the Survey under the charge of Lieut. Wheeler, and
published, by authority of Congress, under the direction
of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.

Friday, March 11, 1880.
Meeting this evening. The President in the chair.

Rev. Robert Collyer, of New York, read an interest-
ing paper entitled "An Episode in the life of Edward
Fairfax."

The President, before introducing the lecturer of the
evening, briefly alluded to William Fairfax, a lineal de-

scendant of Thomas, the first Lord Fairfax, who was an
elder brother of Edward, an episode in whose life is the
subject of the paper under consideration. William Fair-
fax was the son of Hon. Henry Fairfax, sheriff of York-
shire, who was the son of Henry, the fourth Lord Fairfax.
Having received the appointment of collector of the port
of Salem, he came to Salem in 1725 from the Bahamas,
where he had married Sarah, daughter of Major Walker,
and was appointed Chief Justice of the Island. His wife
died in Salem in 1731, and subsequently he married
Deborah, daughter of Francis and Deborah (Gedney)
Clarke. In 1734 he accepted an offer from his cousin
Thomas, the sixth Lord Fairfax, to be the superintendent
of the estates in Virginia, which he had inherited from
his mother, who was a daughter of Lord Culpepper. He
then removed thither and took up his residence first in
Westmoreland County, but subsequently removed to a
plantation called Belvoir, near Alexandria.

During his residence in Salem he occupied the house
which was taken down some eight years since, on the
western corner of Essex and Cambridge streets, for the
erection on the site of a more eligible mansion. The
house was then owned by Philip English, or his daughter
Susannah Touzel.

For a more extended notice of the Clarke Family and
its connection with the Fairfax, the reader is referred to
a notice of the Clarke and Gedney families, prepared by
H. F. Waters, and printed in the Historical Collections
of the Essex Institute, Vol. XVI, part 4.

Mr. CoLLYER gave at first a very graphic account of
the ancient seat of the Fairfax family at Denton Park
in Yorkshire. He spoke of several of the members of
the family, particularly Thomas, the third Lord Fairfax,

8

who was the great General of the Parliament Army, 1645
to 1650 — born in Denton, 17 Jan'y, 1611-12, died at
Belburgh, near York, 12 Nov., 1671, and Thomas the
sixth Lord Fairfax who resided for many years on his
estates in Virginia and was the intimate friend and patron
of Washington and who died at Greenway Court near
Winchester, Va., in 1781, aged ninety-one years.

Edward Fairfax, the poet, born at Denton, Yorkshire,
and died in the Parish of Fewston about 1631. The
consideration of his writings was the leading and principal
topic discussed in this communication. He seems to have
preferred a life of study and retirement to that of military
service in which his brothers and other members of the
family were distinguished. Having married he lived
at Fewston and there spent his time in literary pursuits.
His best known production is a translation of Tasso's
poem of "Jerusalem Delivered," which appeared in 1600
and was received with enthusiastic and continued appro-
bation. Its popularity has revived in the present century
and several editions have appeared in England and the
United States. His work on demonology entitled "A
Discourse of Witchcraft, as it was acted in the family of
Mr. Edward Fairfax of Fewston, in the county of York,
in the year 1621," was particularly noticed and fully ex-
plained, giving a very interesting and instructive sketch
of the condition of witchcraft at that period.

Edward Fairfax was a firm believer in witchcraft. He
imagined that some of his children had been bewitched ;
and he had some of the witches brought to trial, though
without obtaining a conviction. He, however, only shared
in the common superstitions of the age and was settled
in the conscience of having the sure ground of God's
word to warrant all he believed, and the commendable or-
dinances of the English church to approve all he practised.

9

Regular Meeting, Monday, March 15, 1880.

Kegular meeting this evening. President in the
chair. Records read. Correspondence and donations
announced.

Hon. Thomas H. Walker of Pottsville, Penn., read
an interesting paper on "The Philosophy and Theory of
Punishment." To this subject he had given much time,
wide research and serious reflection. He began by
alluding to the lax system of prison discipline which
prevailed in Europe a century ago, when the jails were
nothing but moral pest-houses, where drunkenness and
prostitution were the pastime of the inmates ; where the
innocent and guilty were huddled together in common
quarters. At this time Howard, the great apostle of
prison reform, came upon the scene of action in England.
He visited most of the prisons in Europe and presented
such a startling array of facts in reference to prison life,
that he was summoned before Parliament and examined
with great particularity in regard to his investigations.

The result was the appointment of a Parliamentary com-
mission and the establishment of the true theory of prison
discipline, the reformation of the criminal and the pro-
tection of society. Human nature was the same inside
the prison as outside, actuated by the same motives and
resentments. The criminal should, therefore, when prac-
ticable, be sentenced to solitary confinement at labor : —
solitary confinement in order that he may have opportu-
nity to repent of the enormity of his crimes and his re-
sponsibility to the State, and that any good impressions
which may be created shall not be dispelled by the scofis
and frivolity of the hardened criminals ; and labor, as
well as solitude, that he may be taught the value of
industry, and learn to appreciate the blessing of the

10

sentence pronounced upon man "In the sweat of thy
brow shalt thou eat thy bread." Brief terms of improve-
ment as a rule were advocated, especially in the case of
the young, and at this point the very groundwork of the
whole system was reached. The intellectual and moral
education of the young was the most effective method of
reform. Crime was hereditary like any other disease;
our penitentiaries and jails are crowded with the ignorant
and depraved, and it would be good economy for the
state to gather up the homeless and fatherless children in
our large cities, and endeavor to make good men and
women of them. There has been a great advance in pro-
viding for the physical, comfort and treatment of the
inmates of our prisons. The sick are cared for in well-
lighted and cheery infirmaries. The insane criminals are
no longer confined in dungeons and fettered with chains,
but are sent to asylums for appropriate treatment. But
we need go a step farther ; crime is a mental disease and
needs a careful diagnosis for its successful eradication,
and our system of prison discipline has much to learn in
this respect.

The lecturer closed with an eloquent tribute to the
memory of Howard, to whom the world owes so much
for the alleviation of prison discipline.

At the adjournment on Tuesday, March 16, Mrs.
Jerome Carter and Miss L. F. Tyler, both of Salem, were
elected members.

Votes of thanks were passed to Rev. Robert Collyer,
of New York, for his iuteresting paper "An Episode in
the life of Edward Fairfax," and to Hon. Thomas H.
Walker, of Pottsville, Penn., for his valuable paper on
"Prison Discipline."

A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands^ ivith
Annotations,

By Edgar A. Mearns.

[Continued from page 204, Vol. XI.]

72. ^giothus linaria {Linne). Red-poll Linnet; Lesser
Red-poll. An occasional winter visitant; sometimes very abundant.

In 1874, the Lesser Red-polls appeared in flocks about the first of
December, and were very abundant until April. For some time after
their first appearance, very few adults were seen, nearly all being
young birds ; but soon old males with rosy breasts and ruby crowns
began to come in immense flights, till the swamps of birch-trees
which they inhabited, and upon whose seeds they fed, were absolutely
swarming with them. So great were their numbers that the supply
of birch seeds soon gave out, and then they scattered over the entire
region, feeding largely upon seeds of the alder, and of various weeds.
During the month of March, the Red-polls far exceeded in numbers
the aggregate of any single species that I have ever seen. They were
very tame, feeding close to the roadsides and in yards about houses ;
and, go where one would, they were always found in abundance.
They were in full soug during the last month of their stay, and the
males were in particularly handsome plumage. Their notes resemble
those of the American Goldfinch {Chrysomitris tristis) ; but their
flight is swifter, and less undulating. They are easily domesticated,
and make nice pets.

Mr. William C. Osborn shot a female, on November 9, 1878, near
Garrisons ; it was feeding in company with the Tit-lark (Anthus ludo-
vicianus), in a weedy field near the Indian Brook.

I saw a single Red-poll in a birch-tree in the Central Park, N. Y.,
on December 20, 1878. During the last week in December and the
first day of January (1878-79), they were quite numerous all through
the Highlands. Nearly all of the specimens shot were young males,
though one or two adult males and females were secured. Dr. Fisher,
on the other hand, found only females, at the same time, at Sing Sing,
N. Y. On February 8, 1879, Dr. Clinton L. Bagg found a number of
Red-polls in some weedy fields on Ward's Island, N. Y.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of fifty-seven specimens: —
length, 5-32; stretch, 8-68 ; wing, 2-80; tail, 2-32; culmen, -36; tarsus,
•56 : middle toe, -36 ; its claw, -23.

(11)

12

73. Chrysomitris pinus {Wilson). Pine Goldfixch; Pine
Linnet. An occasional winter visitant; sometimes a winter resident,
and abundant.

In 1874 the Pine Linnets were found in the hemlocks, feeding upon
the cones, as early as October 16. They were frequently met with
throughout the winter in large flocks in the alder swamps, accompany-
ing flocks of Red-poll Linnets. Since then I have only seen them on
two occasions: in Lewis County, N. Y., January 1, 1878; and on
Pebruary 6 (same year), when they were numerous at Port Moutgom-
ei*y (four miles south of Highland Falls), associating and feeding with
large flocks of Yellowbirds (Chrysomitris tristis) upon the cones of the
hemlock.

A specimen was taken by Mr. Prederic S. Osborn at Garrisons,
October 17, 1874 ; and Mr. William C. Osborn took specimens there
on November 16, 1878. Mr. Theodore Roosevelt took it August 27,
1874, in Pranklin County, N. Y.^

Dr. C. Hart Merriam's notice of the "Breeding of the Pine Linnet
in Northern New York," published in the "Porest and Stream and
Rod and Gun" (Vol. X, No. 24, p. 463, July 18, 1878), is so interesting
that I cannot forbear transcribing it entire: "Pew birds are more
erratic in their habits than the siskin or pine linnet. Occurring to-
day, perhaps, in such numbers that one soon tires of shooting them,
they are gone on the morrow, and years may elapse before one is
seen again. There is, in their melancholy che-a, uttered at intervals
as small flocks pass in short, waving swoops, far overhead, something
sadly suggestive of the cold bleak winds that sweep their northern
homes. Yet they are warmly clad, and seem rather to enjoy the
wintry blasts that compel most birds to seek a milder clime ; and their
roaming movements are apparently governed more by some idiosyn-
crasy in their roving dispositions, and abundance or scarcity of food,
than by the severity of the season in the region from which they
came.

During the past winter and spring they literally swarmed in Lewis
County, N. Y., and thousands of them bred throughout the heavy
evergreen forests east of Black River, wiiile many scattered pairs
nested in suitable hemlock and balsam swamps in the middle district.
They breed remarkably early, and construct large, compact nests,
which are usually placed high up on some hemlock or spruce, and
well concealed from view. I know of no nest, of equal size, so hard
to find. After days of patient search in the evergreen swamps of
this vicinity (Locust Grove), Mr. Bagg and myself discovered but a

1 The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N. Y. By Theo-
dore Roosevelt, Jr., and H. D. Minot.

13

single nest. On the 13tli of April we were hunting in a low swamp,
near White River, when a solitary pine linnet attracted our attention
by hopping about on some fallen logs. In a few moments she flew
into a large hemlock, which stood apart from the rest, and immedi-
ately disappeared. After carefully looking over the entire tree, a
limb at a time, Mr. Bagg noticed a bunch of something almost com-
pletely concealed by a cluster of small branches. We were not sure
that it was a nest at all till a well-aimed stick drove ofi* the parent
bird, which was shot and proved to be the female. With great diffi-
culty the nest was secured, and it contained, at that early date (April
13), two nearly fledged young. It was tightly saddled on a large
limb, about thirty feet from the ground and nearly fifteen feet from
the trunk of the tree, and was so nicely hidden that, from a limb
directly above, I could not see it at all. One of the young was
skinned, while the other now constitutes a contented member of my
sister's "happy family," which previously consisted of an oriole
(Icterus haltimore), three thistlebirds {Chrysomitris tristis) and a
nonpareil (Cyanospiza ciris). He attained his full growth shortly
after his capture, and has since thrived on a mixed diet, though, like
his cousins the goldfinches, showing a decided preference for the
thickly-seeded spikes of the common plantain (Plantago major) . Also,
like his brighter-plumaged companions, he constantly raises and
lowers the occipital feathers when at all alarmed.

In plumage he difiers from the adult bird, in having the belly marked
with yellow, the wing-bars ochraceous instead of whitish, and the
upper parts decidedly tinged with rufus. This rufus cast is due to the
fact that the bark-centred feathers of the back are, in the young,
margined with fulvous-brown, which is not the case with the old bird.
The nest is a very bulky structure for so small a bird, and its rough
exterior, loosely built of hemlock twigs, with a few sprigs of pigeon
moss (Polytrichum) interspersed, is irregular in outline, and measures
about six inches in diameter. The interior, on the contrary, is com-
pactly woven into a sort of felt, the chief ingredients of which are
thistledown and the fur and hair of various mammals. The cavity is
lined with horsehair, and measures two inches and a quarter in
diameter by an inch and a quarter in depth. This nest is much more
flat than that described by Dr. Brewer ^ from Cambridge, Mass., for
it measures but two inches in height at its highest point. A consid-
erable mass of dung adheres to the small twigs at one point in its
exterior, showing that the bird always "headed" the same way, and
was not particularly cleanly in her habits. From the size of the

Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, Vol. I, p. 482, 1874.

14

young it is clear that this nest could not have been completed much
later than the middle of March.

Not content to let the season pass without making a greater effort
to secure their eggs, I accepted on the loth of April, an invitation
from my brother, C. Collins Merriam, to accompany him on an excur-
sion through the densely timbered region about Otter Creek (near the
eastern border of Lewis County) and Big Otter Lake (Herkimer
County), from which it takes its origin. This entire district lies
within the area commonly known as "Brown's Tract," and is Canadian
in fauna. Never before at any locality have I seen a species of bird
represented by such immense numbers of individuals as here attested
the abundance of the pine finch. In every part of the forest, from
early in the morning till after the sun had disappeared in the west,
there was not a moment that their voices were not heard among the
pines and spruce trees overhead. And yet, though among them
several days, we were not able to discover a single nest. Never have
I searched more faithfully for the eggs of any species, and never has
my diligence been rewarded with less success. I at first made a
systematic survey of a large number of trees, taking a limb at a time,
and then climbed so many that I was barely able to get back to camp,
but with no better results.

Their nests are placed so high and amidst such thick evergreen
foliage that it is almost impossible to find them. As illustrating the
number of this species as well as of the red and white-winged cross-
bills {Loxia curvirostra var. Americana and L. leucoptera), it may be
worth recording that after firing twenty-two small charges of fine
dust shot at the cross-bills as they settled into the top of a single dead
hemlock, I picked up fifty-one birds, of which twenty-eight were red
cross-bills, eight white-winged, and fifteen pine linnets. I aimed at
cross-bills only, killing the linnets by chance. Mr. A. J. Dayan was
so fortunate as to secure two sets of their eggs from among the pines
near Lyon's Falls (in the Black River Valley). The first was com-
pleted March 11, and contained but three eggs on the 18th. The
second contained two fresh eggs April 20, and was left till the 25th,
but no more were deposited."

Dimensions. — Average measurements of eleven specimens: length,
5-00; stretch, 8-G3; wing, 2-76; tail, 1-90; culmen, -43; gape, --±7 ;
tarsus, -52; middle toe, -45 ; its claw, '23.

74. Astragalinus tristis (^Linne). American Goldfinch;
Yeli.owbird. a permanent resident; breeds; common.

This pretty species, in winter, associates in flocks, feeding upon
the seeds of birch, alder and hemlock, besides those of numerous
weeds. They are not generally recognized in their plain, but neat
winter dress, as the gayly-attired Yellowbirds of summer. In winter.

15

large numbers are sold in the New York markets, in bunches, under
the name of "reed-birds."

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-nine specimens:
length, o-lO; stretch, 8-83; wing, 2-82; tail, 1-95; culmen, '40; gape,
•43; tarsus, -54; middle toe, -42; its claw, -21.

75. Plectrophanes nivalis (Linne). Snow Bunting; White
Snowbird. An irregular winter visitant. It sometimes arrives early
in November, and remains until March. Mr. Thomas W. Wilson pro-
cured specimens on the railroad, at Constitution Island, as early as
November 8, 1875. Mr. William Church Osborn saw them near Gar-
risons, on November 9, 1878. I have seen flocks on the railroad as
late as March 12 (1875).

Large numbers of these white-clad visitors from Arctic climes oc-
casionally appear upon the ice of the frozen Hudson : always in
severely cold weather, and very often during snow-storms. During
the latter part of the winter of 1874-5, when skating up the river, I
found large flocks frequenting the sleigh crossings on the Hudson;
and smaller bands were numerous along the railroad upon the left
bank. I encountered the first flock near Fishkill Landing, where they
were feeding, on the sleigh track crossing the river. A number of
them were brought down by the discharge of both barrels of my piece,
and most of those left alighted upon the nearest trees on shore, but a
few returned to their wounded companions, standing erect beside
them, and uttering their loud call-note, as if entreating them to come
away. They allowed me to come very near before they would forsake
their unfortunate companions, and only left them when life was ex-
tinct, unless sooner driven away. When these had rejoined the flock
upon the bank, the entire body proceeded northward. Subsequently,
the species was common all along the Hudson. I did not molest them
again, but took good care of the wounded ones, and afterward brought
them safe home. They seemed starved, and ate greedily. Their
wounds healed very quickly, and, in a few days, they were able to fly
about. Soon they became very tame, and would come upon a table to
be fed. They were released iu the dining-room, where they spent
most of the time among some house plants, at the windows ; but,
from their visits to the table during meals, they became a source of
annoyance, and were shut up at those times. Towards spring they
became restless, and struggled to get out of their cages, and, on being
released, flew to the windows, pecked the glass, and uttered mournful
cries.

Upon the railroad, a few flocks are commonly found spending the
Aviuter. These soon become begrimed, almost beyond recognition,
by contact with the grease and dirt of the track; but they become
very fat, for they are abundantly supplied with food,— the grain that

16

drops through chinks in the cars. Contrary to their usual habits,
they are quite arboreal, spending most of the time upon trees, above
the track, only descending occasionally to fill their crops, between the
passage of trains. Among the mountains on the right bank of the
river, I have rarely seen them. When shooting there on December
30, 1878, a flock of five flew overhead, uttering their wild notes, which
seem to me to have a very wintry significance, which is quite in keep-
ing with their white plumage and boreal habitat. They are said to
occur occasionally at West Point.

The Snow Bunting breeds in the Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and
America. A nest, with its complement of four eggs, taken at Akreyri,
Iceland, June 13, 1874, was sent to me, together with a number of odd
eggs, by Herr Alfred Benzon, of Copenhagen, and I take advantage
of this opportunity to describe them. The nest is quite bulky; com-
posed largely of dry grasses, with considerable long, tine, whitish hair
interwoven and lining the inside; also a few feathers of some water-
fowl, and some of those of its own species. It was built upon the
ground, and still has some earth adhering to it. Its external diam-
eter is about 6-00 inches, internal, nearly 300; depth, 2-'i0 externally,
and 1*25 internally. The eggs belonging to this set, four in number,
were all accidentally broken, but I have mended one of them perfectly,
and the rest will answer for the purpose of description. They closely
resemble each other in coloration; their ground-color is distinctly
greenish- white, quite evenly marked with blotches of pale purplish-
brown, and less numerous dashes of umber-brown ; the spotting is a
little more distinct at their larger ends. The mended egg measured
•88 by -65 of an inch.

Seven eggs, taken at Akreyri, Iceland, in 1872, are now before me.
Their ground-color varies from pale greenish to dirty white ; some are
so thickly covered with rusty -brown markings as almost to conceal the
ground ; others are sparsely or thickly spotted with dark umber-
brown or sepia, sometimes aggregated at the larger end, sometimes
arranged circularly about that extremity, and sometimes pretty uni-
formly distributed over the whole egg. They measure, respectively,
•94 X -67; -94 X '68; -90 X '64; -91 X "63; -85 X -Bo; So X '66; ^88
X ^62.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of ten specimens : length,
6*88; stretch, 12-47; wing, 4*07; tail, 2-70; culmen, '45; tarsus, -83.

76, Passereulus savanna (Wilson). Savanna Sparrow.
Common during spring and autumn; a few are seen during summer,
but none in winter. It will probably prove to be a continuous resi-
dent; but of rare occurrence during the breeding season, and in
winter. During migrations they are especially numerous upon the
marshes. They make a whirring noise in flight, are not shy, and
their note is a low ticeet.

17

Dimensions.— Axerage measurements of nine specimens : length,
5-68; stretch, 9-10; wing, 2G2; tail, 2-09; culmen, -43; gape, -47;
tarsus, -80.

77. Pooecetes gramineus (Gmelin). Bay-wixged Sparrow.
A summer resident; breeds. Arrives in March (30, 1878), and sta3's
till November. It is found in old, weedy fields, and has a pretty
little song in the spring.

Dimensions.— Awerage measurements of eleven specimens : length,
6-12; stretch, 10-35; wing, 8 06 ; tail, 2-38.

78. Coturniculus passerinus (^Wilson). Yellow-w^ixged
Sparrow. A summer resident; breeds. Abundant in most parts of
the Hudson Valley. In this vicinity there are few localities which
suit its habits, and it is, consequently, rare. Mr. Wm. Church
Osborn first apprised me of its occurrence, near Garrisons, in some
high, sandy fields, where it breeds every summer. A female shot
there, ]May 18, 1878, contained a full-sized ovum.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of three specimens : length,
5 38; stretch, 8-52: wing, 2-38; tail, 1-79; culmen, -47; gape, -51;
tarsus, -87; middle toe, -57; its claw, -15.

79. Ammodramus eaudacutus (Gmelin). Sharp-tailed
Finch. I have only found it during the month of October (16, 1874;
12, 1877), and at a single locality — on the salt marsh that joins Con-
sook Island to the west shore.* Mr. Wm. Church Osborn shot a fine
male specimen, in the same place, on October 12, 1878.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of two specimens : length,
5-50; stretch, 7-50; wing, 2-24; tail, 2-00; culmen, -46; gape, -54;
tarsus, -87; middle toe and claw, '80.

80. Melospiza palustris (mZson). Swamp Sparrow. A sum-
mer resident; breeds. Arrives from the south in March, and stays
till December. Occasionally seen in early winter. It will probably
be found to be an occasional winter resident in the Highlands, as it
is lower down the Hudson. It is found in swampy places inland, about
the shores of ponds, and, most abundantly, on the salt marshes along
the river. It builds its nest in a tussock of grass, and lays its eggs
about the last of May (23, 1877). Its song is pretty, and difiers from
those of our other Sparrows. Mv. Francis Butterfass showed me an
albinistic specimen that was about one-half white, which he shot at
Cold Spring, on the Hudson.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of fourteen specimens : length,
5-89; stretch, 7 90; wing, 2-34; tail, 2-32; culmen, -46; gape, -49;
tarsus, -86; middle toe, -61; middle toe and its claw, -85.

81. Melospiza fasciata (IFiVso^O- Song Sparrow. An abun-
dant resident species; breeds. Always present throughout even the
severest winters, in favorable situations; its abundance and disper-

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. XII 2

18

sion depending on the character of the winter. But these hardy
northerners depart in Februarj^, and are succeeded by the hosts of
its species which make up the great northward migration, wiiich
begins late in February. It commences to build in April, and its
;first clutch of eggs is commonly deposited late in that month. The
nest may be found in various situations — frequently attached to rushes
in the marshes. On April 27, 1878, a pair of Song Sparrows were
Incubating their eggs, in an old nest of the Red-winged Blackbird
(Ageloius phoeniceus). In the same season, young were seen flying by
May 18. It is not uncommon to find it sitting upon a late brood of
eggs during the month of August. Prof. James M. DeGarmo has a
nearly perfect albino, taken at Rhiuebeck, on the Hudson.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-five specimens:
length, 6-30; stretch, 8-57; wing, 2-52; tail, 262; culmen, -49; tar-
•sus, -82; middle toe, -67; middle toe and its cla-sv, -85.

82. Junco hyemalis (Linne). Eastern Snowbird. An abun-
dant winter resident. Arrives in autumn about the end of September
(30, 1874; October 12, 1875; September 28, 1876; October 18, 1879),
and remains till May (1, 1873; 9, 1874; 8, 1875; 5, 1876; April 22,
1878; May 8, 1879; April 23, 1880). It breeds plentifully in the
Catskill Mountains, and doubtless on the Shawangunk range in
Orange County, N. Y. Mr. Wm. Church Osborn found it at Lake
Mohouk, Ulster County, N. Y., in July, 1877. The Snowbird sings
verj^ sweetly before leaving us in the spring.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-four specimens :
length, 6-27; stretch, 9-78; wing, 303; tail, 2-71; culmen, -41; tar-
sus, -81; middle toe and its claw, -72.

83. Spizella raontana (^Forster). Tree Sparrow. A very
abundant winter resident. Arrives from the North about the end of
October (31, 1874; 30, 1876; November 7, 1877; October 26, 1878;
November 17 [or earlier], 1879), and departs in April (29, 1874; 29,
1875; 29, 1876; 13, 1877; March 28, 1878; April 28, 1879; April 8,
1880). In the spring it has a very agreeable song, ending in a loud
trill. Its food, in winter, consists largely of the seeds of alder and
birch.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-eight specimens :
length, 6-36; stretch, 946; wing, 2-99; tail, 2-82; culmen, -41; gape,
•47; tarsus, -80; middle toe, -56; middle toe and its claw, -76.

84. Spizella socialis {Wilson). Chipping Sparrows A very
abundant summer resident; breeds. Arrives from the South earlj^ in
April (12, 1874 [2, F. S. Osborn]; 7, 1875; 17, 1876 [15, de Nottbeck] ;
IG, 1877; 3, 1878; 10, 1879; 5, 1880), and departs late in autumn (Oc-
tober 25, 1874; 29, 1876; 23, 1877; November 29, 1879). Begins to
lay about the middle of May C16, 1872; 17, 1873; 12, 1877. Each nest
contained its full complement of eggs).

19

The Chipping Sparrow, like the Marsh Wren {Telmatodytes palustris)
and some other species, has the habit of waking up in the night and
singing. This has also been noted by John Burroughs, C. Hart
Merriam, and other writers. Another occurrence, to which attention
has also been repeatedl}'- called, is a singular accident to whicli this
species appears to be especially liable, viz. : the frequency with which
it meets a tragic end, in consequence of having accidentally become
inextricably entangled in the long hairs with which it lines its nest.
Three instances of the occurrence of this accident have come under
my own observation. The last was shown me by Miss Anna B.
Warner, of Constitution Island, in which case the bird was com-
pletely netted in the horsehair, which was wound about its wings
in the most intricate manner. In the other cases the birds were
found suspended from their nests by a single hair, which encircled
their necks. In one case the male bird attracted my attention by its
repeated cries of distress; and I found the female suspended in the
manner indicated, in which condition it had evidently remained for
a day or two, as it was very putrid.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of eleven specimens : length,
5-37; stretch, 8-73; Aving, 2-74; tail, 2-29; culmen, -36; tarsus, -6-1:.

85. Spizella pusilla (Tr«7sou). Fikld Sparrow. An abundant
summer resident, arriviug iu April (28, 1874; 21, 1875; 17, 1876; 26,
1879) ; begins to lay its eggs about the middle of May (16, 1876 ; 18,
1878). It has a very pleasant song.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of six specimens : length,
568; stretch, 8*14; wing, 2*50; tail, 2-55; culmen, -40; gape, -42;
tarsus, -74; middle toe, "50; middle toe and its claw, -Qo.

86. Zonotrichia albicollis ((r»ieZm). Wiiite-throated Spar-
row. A very abundant spring and fall migrant, arriving, in spring,
towards the last of April, and remaining till late iu May (5, 1873;
April 22 to May 16, 1874; April 30 to May 23, 1875; April 22 to May
28, 1876; April 2 to May 22, 1877; April 27 to May 18, 1878; April 23
to about May 30, 1879; April 14 to May 25, 1880). It reaches us, in
autumn, towards the end of September (30, 1874; 23, 1876; 23, 1878),
and stays till about the middle of November, Dr. A. K. Fisher saw
it at Sing Sing, on the Hudson, on December 1, 1878. It is a regular
winter resident in the Central Park, New York City. Mr. Eugene P.
Bicknell says,^ in an article read before the Linn«an Society of New
York, and treating of some birds of Riverdale, on the Hudson : "A
flock of white-throated sparrows {Zonotrichia albicolUs), have been
about the place all winter, coming to roost in the evening among
some large spruce trees close to the house. A few others have

s '• The Country," Vol. 1, No. 23, p. 324, March 30, 1878.

20

■wintered here, but I have failed to find them except in the vicinity
of private residences where an abundance of evergreens afford them
a suitable shelter."

Dimensions. — ^Average measurements of eighteen specimens : length,
6-74; stretch, 9-46; wing, 2-89; tail, 2-86; culraen, -50; gape, 'oi;
tarsus, -90; middle toe, -60; middle toe and its claw, '88.

87. Zonotrichia leucophrys (i^orsi^er)- White-crowned Spar-
row. A rather rare spring and fall migrant. Observed from May 18
(1877) to 23 (1876). Mr. Thomas W. Wilson has taken specimens, at
Cold Spring, on the Hudson, on October 12 and 16, 1875, and May 12,
1876.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of two adult females (Nos.
1,177 and 1,181, Highland Falls, N. Y., May 23, 1876, E. A. M.) :
length, 6-88; stretch, 9-82; wing, 3-03; tail, 2-88; culmen, -50; tarsus,
•85 ; middle toe and its claw '81.

88. Passer domesticus (Li7ine). European House Sparrow.
Introduced. Resident; breeds. It is a pest, here, as everywhere.
All intelligent landholders shoot it whenever it appears on their
premises. The grape-growers are especially vindictive against it.
My gardener complains that it destroys his green peas.

During winter, the English Sparrows frequent the marshes along
the Hudson, in large fiocks ; but, in general, they make their homes in
the towns, whence they sally forth to depredate in the country around ;
but to return to the protection of their city homes at the slightest
alarm.

Mr. William Church Osborn furnishes the following interesting ob-
servation on its habits : " An adult male Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
(^Sphyrapicus varius) was taken dead, in a back yard on 3'>th-street,
New York City. It was overcome, after a stout resistance, by the
united attack of a number (twenty-two were counted that engaged in
the afiair) of English Sparrow^s, one of their number having been left
dead upon the field along with the luckless Woodpecker."

Dimensions. — Average measurements of fifteen specimens : length,
6-33; stretch, 9-72; wing, 3-01; tall, 2-30; culmen, -50; gape, -60;
tarsus, -76 ; middle toe, -63 ; its claw, -2^1.

89. Pas sereUa ilia ca (3/er?'e7?i). Fox Sparrow. An abundant
s-pring and fall migrant. In spring, arrives early in March, and stays
till about the middle of April (March, 25, 1871; 21, 1873; 5 to April
30, 1874; 16 to April 28, 1875; 6 to April 14, 1876; 23 to April 2, 1877;
February 28 to April 4, 1878; March 12 to April 10, 1879; March 6 to
April 8, 1880). In autumn, arrives towards the end of October, and
stays till about the first of December (October 22 to November 25,
1874; October 28, 1876; November 9 to December 8, 1877; October
26, 1878; October 26 to November 30, 1879).

This handsome species is the largest of our Sparrows, and the first

21

strictly migratory species to appear in spring. It begins to sing soon
after its arrival. Its notes are full and rich; and, Avhen singing, it is
apt to be perched on a tree-top, although it frequently sings in a
brush-heap. Its ordinary note is a low tweet, sometimes modulated
so as to resemble the Cedar-bird's note; and it also gives a sharp,
metallic utterance like the Brown Thrasher's {Harporhynchus rufus).
Its flight is accompanied by a loud whirring sound.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-three specimens :
length, 7-2G; stretch, ll-l-t: wing, 3 39 ; tail, 2-85; culmen, -50; gape,
•57; tarsus, -QG ; middle toe, '64; its claw, -SI.

90. Zamelodia ludoviciana {Linne). Rose-breasted Gros-
beak. A summer resident; breeds. Most abundant during its mi-
grations. Arrives early in May (13, 1873; 9, 1874; 13, 1875; 11,
1876; 16, 1877; 9, 1878; 10, 1879; 4, 1880), and stays through Sep-
tember (21, 1874).

This lovely bird is found in the open woods ; but it also resorts to
fields and orchards in the springtime. Its black-and-white colors
remind one strongly of the Bobolink; but, besides, its folded wing
conceals the rose- colored lining in the male, and yellow in his plainer-
clad mate ; and, — most conspicuous, — a patch of brightest carmine
adorns the breast of the male. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak destroys
the fruit-blossoms in the orchards, being especially fond of those of
the cherry; and I suppose that it really does some damage to the
crops: this, to my mind, however, it more than compensates for, by
adding so much brightness and melody to the happiest of seasons.
But it has another bad habit : where fields, newly sown with the cer-
eal grains, are convenient to its woodland retreats— for it is a shy
bird — its species will collect in large flocks, and resort there contin-
ually, as long as there is a grain of seed to be had.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of sixteen specimens : — length,
8-12; stretch, 12-92; wing, 4-02; tail, 2-99; culmen, -69 ; gape, -76;
tarsus, -88 ; middle toe, -64 ; its claw, '27 ; middle toe and its claw, -83.

91. Passerina cyanea {Linne). Indigo Bird. A common
summer resident ; breeds abundantly. Arrives early in May (10, 1872 ;
13, 1873; 12, 1874; 12, 1875; 20, 1876; 14, 1877; 4, 1878; 15, 1879; 7,
1880), and departs in September (20, 1876; 19, 1879).

These pretty birds are common in neglected flelds, and in the edge
of the woods. I have known them to dwell, and rear their young, in
the densest swamps of the Avilderness, but this is quite exceptional,
and they are rarely seen away from civilized parts. Their nests are
built in bushes — commonly in blackberries growing along fences, or
even in gardens of cultivated raspberries. Their song is very clear
and fine. They pillage the grain-fields in company with the Purple
Finch and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. In autumn, associated in im-

22

mense flocks, they are seen feeding with the Blackbirds and Reedbirds
upon the salt marshes along the Hudson, when it is interesting to ob-
serve the various transitional phases of their plumage, so well ex-
hibited by an abundance of differing individuals.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of sixteen specimens: length,
5-59; stretch, 8-52; wing, 2-58; tail, 2-11; culmen, -41; gape, -45;
tarsus, -67; middle toe, *49; its claw, '19.

92. Cardinalis virginianus (Brisson). Cardinal Grosbeak;
Virginia Redbird. A bird flew close past me down a ravine in the
woods, on May 11, 1876. It uttered a note which I distinctly remem-
ber; it must have been a Cardinal Grosbeak, though I was not then
certain about its identity, thinking it might be the Summer Tanager
(Pyra nga cest iva) .

93. Pipilo erythrophtlialmus (Linne). Ground Robin ; IMarsh
Robin ; Towhke Bunting ; Chewink. An abundant summer resident ;
breeds. Arrives the last of April (27, 1872 ; May 8, 1873 ; May 7, 1874 ;
April 30, 1875; April 25, 1876; May 5, 1877; April 26, 1878; April 27,
1879; April 28, 1880), and stays till late in autumn (October 15, 1874;
11, 1875, Wilson, at Cold Spring; 25, 1876 [one that had been disabled
was captured on the 28th]).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of seventeen specimens: —
length, 8-35; stretch, 11-14; wing, 3-34; tail, 3-68; culmen, -55; gape,
•71 ; tarsus, 1-09 ; middle toe, -73 ; its claw, -30 ; middle toe and its claw,
1.00.

Eamily, ICTERIDiES.

94. Doliclionyx oryzivorus (Linne). Bobolink; Reed-bird;
Rice-bird. A summer resident; breeds. Arrives early in May (12,
1873; 21, 1875; 23, 1876; 22, 1877; 5, 1878), and stays till about the
end of September (10, 1874; 22, 1876; 18, 1879). Not a very abundant
summer resident ; but occurs in large flocks during August and Septem-
ber, feeding upon the salt marshes along the Hudson.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of eight males: — length, 7-55;
stretch, 11-95; wing, 3-76; tail, 2-73; culmen, -60; tarsus, 1-10; mid-
dle toe and its claw, 1-06. Female: — length, 7-15; stretch, 11-25;
wing, 3-54; tail, 2-53; culmen, '58; gape, -61; tarsus, 1-07.

95. Molothrus ater {Gmelin). Cow-bird; Cow-Blackbird.
A common summer resident; breeds abundantly. Arrives about the
first of April (29, 1873; 18, 1874 [Frederic S. Osborn, at Garrisons] ;
29, 1875; 17, 1876; 13, 1877; March 30, 1878; April 5, 1879; April 10,
1880), and disappears in August.

On Long Island, and in the vicinity of New York, Cow-birds spend
the winter; but they have not been seen in the Highlands at that
season. Mr. Jas. S. Buchanan took a perfect albino, at Newburgh,

23

on the Hudson. Cow-Blackbirds come to us in abundance early in
April, and may then be seen running swiftly and gracefully about, —
not hopping,— and picking up seeds in newly-planted fields. They
are reproductive parasites, as well as polygamists. One of their
eggs was hatched by the European House Sparrows, in Highland
Falls, N. Y. ; the young Cow-bird thrived, and remained with the
Sparrows in the town for some time, and it was a common sight to
see them feeding it in the street. Their amours are conducted in an
amusing manner. The sexes associate indiscriminately, and in vary-
ing proportions. The males, in green-black and chocolate-brown
dress, commence the performance by walking about with their necks
arched, and decurved, so that their bills nearly touch the ground; then
a male approaches one of the females, — which are considerably
smaller, and brownish in color, — running at full speed, and, when close
to her, pitches forward till his bill nearly touches the ground : this
as if in salutation. The difierent males repeat this movement, and
the more ardent ones ruff up all their feathers, and drag their ex-
panded tails upon the ground, as they strut up to the side of their fav-
orites, with skins inflated to an indefinite and alarming extent by the
amorous passions within; meanwhile they utter various uncouth gut-
tural noises, some of which resemble the loud, " cork-drawing "notes
of the Corvidce, while others are precisely like the sounds produced
by tilting a partly empty cask. The females pay little attention, fill
their crops, and utter an occasional note resembling that of the Cedar-
bird {Ampelis cedrorum).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of eleven males : length,
7-92; stretch, 13o7; wing, 4-2-t; tail, 3-01; culmen, -67; gape, -68;
tarsus, 1-02; middle toe, -72; middle toe and its claw, -94; claw
alone, -25. Average measurements of five females: length, 7-18;
stretch, 12-22; wing, 3-84; tail, 2-68; culmen, -61; gape, -63; tarsus,
•94; middle toe, -04; middle toe and its claw, -94; claw alone, '26.

96. Agelseus phcsniceus (Limie). Red-winged Blackbird;
Marsh Blackbird. A common summer resident; breeds. Arrives
about the beginning of March (first seen March 25, 1871 ; April 2,
1872; March 31, 1873; April 25, 1874; March 18, 1875; 6, 1876, Thomas
W.Wilson; April 7, 1877; March 27, 1878 ; 29, 1879; 28, 1880), and
departs before December (last seen November 17, 1877).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty -two males ; length,
9-51; stretch, 15-23; wing, 4-72; tail, 3-77; culmen, -93, gape, -97;
tarsus, 1-11; middle toe, -77; middle toe and its claw, 1-05. Average
measurements of eight females: length, 7*74; stretch, 12-56; wing,
3-92; tail, 3-01; culmen, -74; tarsus, 1-01.

97. StumeUa magna {Linne). Meadow-lark; Field-lark.
A resident species ; but only occasional, and never abundant, in win-

24

ter; breeds in favorable situations. The migrants arrive, or pass
through, in March (April 10, 1873; 2, 1877; March 30, 1878; April 5,
1879; April 6, 1880).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of four males : length, 10-75;
stretch, 16-53; wing, 4-7G; tail, 316; eulmen, 1*35; gape, 1-45; tarsus,
1-72; middle toe, 1-15; middle toe audits claw, 1-53; claw alone, -35.
Female: length, 9-57; stretch, 14-86; wing, 4-22; tail, 2-75; eulmen,
1-30; gape, 1-35; tarsus, 1-60; middle toe, 1-17; its claw, '40.

98. Icterus spurius {Linne). Orchard Oriole. A common
summer resident; breeds. Arrives early in May (9, 1872; 19, 1873;
13, 1874; 9, 1875; 7, 1876 [5, de Nottbeck, at Fishkill] ; 15, 1877; 12,
1878; 8, 1879; 3, 1880), and remains till late in September (17, 1874).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of eleven males : length,
7-32; stretch, 10 34; wing, 3-18; tail, 2-92; eulmen, '&o\ gape, 74;
tarsus, -88 ; middle toe, -58 ; its claw, -26.

99. Icterus galbula {Linne, 1758). Baltimore Oriole. An
abundant summer resident; breeds plentifully. Arrives early in
May (9, 1872; 11, 1873; 9, 1874; 9, 1875; 7, 1876; 13, 1877; 3, 1878;
6, 1879; 2, 1880), and departs early in September (22, 1874.) In a nest
of unusually large size, found in a pear-tree near my house by Louis
A. Zerega, in June, 1874, there were no less than eight eggs.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-three specimens :
length, 7-53; stretch, 11-72; wing, 3-52; tail, 2-84; eulmen, -70; tar-
sus, -85.

100. Scolecophagus ferrugineus {Gmelhi). Rusty Grackle.
A common spring and fall migrant. Arrives from the -South early in
March (30, 1873; 19, 1874; 17, 1875; 14, 1876; April 5, 1879; March
11, 1880), and all pass through before the end of May. Returning in
autumn, they are found from September until December.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of ten specimens : length,
9-55; stretch, 14-60; wing, 4-61; tail, 3-52; eulmen, -91; tarsus, 1-06;
middle toe and its claw, -75.

101. Quiscalus purpureus {Linne). Purple Grackle; Crow
Blackbird. A spring and fall migrant. I do not know that any
breed in the Highlands ; but numbers do so about Newburgh, and
Eishkill-on-the-Hudson, just above the Highlands; and the species
nests plentifully lower down the river. It arrives in March (11, 1871 ;
6, 1874; February 29, 1877, Fishkill, de Nottbeck; March 8, 1878; 12,
1879). In autumn, it remains till November.

In the mountains, Crow Blackbirds are quite uncommon, although
they are abundant on both sides of us. In Orange County, I have
observed them in the greatest numbers. On the first of May last, I
took the stage at Newburgh, for Cornwall. The bridge at Moodna
Creek was being repaired, so the coach proceeded via Vail's Gate.

25

On the way, were seen large numbers of Grackles, of varieties pitr-
pureus et ceneus. The stage was a horribly rickety, old rattletrap,
which still bore some slight vestiges of the conventional yellow
color with which it had originally been decorated ; on its top were
piled some long, crooked, heavy iron rods, which rattled dangerously
overhead. This splendid vehicle was drawn by two lean and ghostly
horses, whose best days were passed a decade or more ago; as the
driver whipped them up the long hills, I could not help feeling that
I was doing violence to my humanity by sitting on the driver's seat
instead of getting out and helping the horses pull, as my conscience
told me I ought to be doing. The roads and fences were lined with
sturdy, old cedars, and, in these, the grackles were ensconced. As
we drove past, almost brushing the branches, they hopped down
close to us, leered at our bony nags, peered into the coach and
screamed derisively at us, and spread their tails in high glee as
they called to their neighbors in advance to join in the merriment at
our expense, and they in turn jeered us as we passed by. I could not
help feeling ashamed, and, involuntarily, turned to see if our red-
nosed driver shared my emotions. The Crow Blackbirds were scat-
tered over the fields on both sides of the road. The bronzed variety
skone like gold in the sunlight, while the purple ones glittered bril-
liantly in their metallic plumage.

I have never known them to breed in the mountains; but in all the
low-lying meadow-country along the Hudson, they do so abundantly
— especially where coniferous trees abound.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of adult male: length, 12-50;
stretch, 17-75; wing, 5-55; tail, 5-40; culmen, 1-17; gape, 1-35; tar-
sus, 1-45; middle toe, 1-00; its claw, -34.

Eegular Meeting, Monday, April 5, 1880.

Meeting this evening. The President in the chair.
Records read. Donations and correspondence announced.

Eev. George H. Hosmer, of Salem, and Rev. E. C.
Butler, of Beverly, were duly elected members.

Voted, That the thanks of the Institute be tendered to
Hon. George B. Loring for courtesies and civilities ex-
tended to members of the Institute and their friends,
during the recent visit to Washington, D. C.

Prof. Edward S. Morse made a communication on the
persistence of Korean art in Japanese pottery. His
remarks were illustrated by numerous examples of Korean
and Japanese ware. One very conspicuous character of
Korean pottery of three hundred years ago was the in-
laying of the ornamentation in white or black upon a gray
ground. The design being first cut out in delicate lines
or large areas in the case' of leaves, or else impressed by
means of a stamp. These depressed portions were then
filled in with either white or black pigments. He showed
that wherever the Korean potters had settled in Japan as
in Satsuma, Higo, Hizen, Suwo, and other places, the
pottery still bears the impress of this peculiar method of
ornamentation.

Regular Meeting, Monday, April 19, 1880.

Meeting this evening. The President in the chair.
Records read. Donations and correspondence announced.

(26)

27

Hon. Nathan Crosby, of Lowell, read an interesting
and vaUiable paper entitled "Essex County and Essex
County Men."

The paper is printed in the Historical Collections of
the Essex Institute, Vol. XYH, April, 1880.

Eegular Meeting, Monday, May 3, 1880.

Meeting this evening. The President in the chair.
Records read. Donations and correspondence announced.

William D. Dennis, of Salem, was elected a resident
member.

R. A. Brock, of Richmond, Va., was duly elected a
corresponding member.

Messrs. James Kimball, T. F. Hunt, and H. W. Put-
nam, were appointed a committee to nominate a list of
officers to be balloted for at the Annual Meeting.

A vote of thanks was passed to Hon. Nathan Crosby,
for his paper on "Essex County and Essex County Men,"
read by him at a recent meeting of the Institute.

The Secretary was instructed to ask Judge Crosby for
a copy of the paper for publication.

Mr. Hunt stated that the "Roundabout Ckib," of
Melrose, proposed to visit Salem on the 17th of June
next, and on the motion of the same gentleman, the
President and Secretary were made a committee to extend
the civilities of the Institute to the club.

Voted, To hold the "Winthrop" Field Meeting on the
22d of June next.

28

Annual Meeting, Monday, May 17, 1880.

The Annual Meeting, this evening at 7.30 o'clock.
The President in the chair. Records of last Annual
Meeting read.

The reports of Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, Librarian,
and the Curators and Committees were read and duly
accepted, and ordered -to be placed on file.

Rev. George W. Gardner, of Marblehead, was elected
a member.

The Committee appointed at the previous meeting to
nominate a list of officers for the ensuing year reported
the following :

PKESIDENT:

HENRY WHEATLAND.

VICE-PEESIDEWTS :

Abxer C. Goodell, Jr.,
Frederick W. Putnam,

TV^iLLiAM Sutton,
Daniel B. Hagar.

SECRETAHY:
George M. Whipple.

TREASUIIER:
George D. Phippen.

AUDITOR: .
Richard C. Manning.

LIBRARIAN:
William P. Upham.

CURATORS:

Histo7'y—Jx-siT,s KniBALL.
Mantiscripts—WiL.L.1 A^i P. TJpham.
^rc7icEo?o5'?/— Frederick W. Putnam.
Kumismatics—^lATrnEVi' A. Stickxev.
Geology— Isaac J. OSBCX.

Botany— G-eohgb D. Phippek.
Zoology— HDvrAnD S. Morse.
Horticulture— TLBy^nr W. Putxam.
il/«sic— Joshua PiiirPEX, .Jr.
Painting cj- Sculpture— T. F. HuxT.

Technology— Ev>yvi^ C. Bolles.

29

COMMITTEES :

Finance .•

The President, Chairman ex of.

JAS. Kimball. Jas. O. Safford. Hexry M. Brooks. Geo. R. Emmertox.

The Treasurer, ex off.

Library.

Charles W. Palfray. George F. Flint. Henry F. King.

William Neilson. William D. Xorthend.

The Librarian, ex off.

Publication :
Edward S. Attvood. Abner C. Goodell, Jr. Edwin C. Bolles.

James Kimball. T. F. Hunt.

James A. Emmerton.

Lecture:

Frederick W. Putnam. Aiios H. Johnson. Arthur L. Huntington.

Fielder Israel. Robert S. Rantoul.

Field Meeting :
The Secretary, Chairman ex off.
George A. Perkins, Salem. George D. Phippen, Salem.

George Cogswell. Bradford. James H. Emerton, .Salem.

Francis H. Appleton, Peabody. Eben N. Walton, Salem.

Nathaniel A. Uorton, Salem. Winfield S. Xevins, Salem.

Edward S. Morse, Salem.

The President appointed ]Messrs. Caleb Cooke and
AVilliam Xeilson to receive and count the ballots. These
gentlemen attended to their duty, and reported that nine-
teen ballots were thrown all for the persons above stated,
and the ticket as nominated was declared elected.

Vice President F. ^y. Putnam referred to the cominor
Winthrop Field Meeting and read a humorous paper,
written by Mr. Horace Scudder and read by him at a late
club dinner. It was entitled "A Memorial Supper on the
death of the Memorable and truly Honorable John Win-
throp, Esq."

30

THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR

compiled from the several reports read at the meeting,
presents the work of the Institute in the various depart-
ments since the last annual meeting.

Members. — Changes occur in the list of our associates
by the addition of new names, and the withdrawal of some
by resignation, removal from the county or vicinity, or by
death. Eleven resident members have died, and we have
received information of the decease of three of our corre-
s[)ondents.

Alfred Peahody^ son of Nathan and Hannah (Stickney)
Peabody, born Feb. 3, 1806; merchant; died at Salem,
June 13, 1879, aged 73 yrs., 4 mos., 10 days. Elected
a member March 26, 1851.

Udicard Fitzgerald^ physician in Salem ; born in Ireland
Jan. 1, 1826; son of Eichard and Johannah (Fitzgerald)
Fitzgerald; died July 7, 1879. Elected a member
March 30, 1859.

Thomas 31. Saunders. In earl}^ life a captain and
supercargo in the East India trade ; a merchant ; son of
Daniel and Sarah (Gill) Saunders, born June 10, 1795;
died Aug. 19, 1879. Elected a member July 6, 1864.

Josejjh A. Goldtlnvaite, son of Ezekiel and Mary
(Fuller) Goldthwaite ; born at Salem, Aug. 25, 1813; a
cooper, in early life ; at the time of his decease, superin-
tendent of the Old Men's Home, Salem ; died Sept. 2,
1879, aged 66 years. Elected a member May 8, 1857.

Henry L. Williams; merchant and an ex-mayor ot
Salem ; son of Israel and L^xlia (Waite) Williams, born
at Salem, July 23, 1817; died Sept. 27, 1879. Elected
a member Sept. 16, 1867.

Benjamin F. Mudge^ son of James and Ruth (Atwell)

31

Muclge, of 'Lynn ; born in Orrington, Me., Aug. 11, 1817 ;
gniduatecl at Wesleyan Univ., 1840 ; a lawyer, and mayor
of Lynn in 1852; removed to Kansas in 1861 — State
Geologist and Professor of Natural History in State Agric.
College; died at Manhattan, Kans., Nov. 21, 1879.
Elected a member April 23, 1856.

JSFathaniel Broivn, son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth
(Millett) Brown, of Salem; sea captain and merchant,
mayor of Salem; born March 19, 1827; died Dec. 10,

1879, aged b'2 yrs., 8 mos., 22 days. Elected a member
July 6,^^1864.

Charles Lawrence, son of Abel and Abigail (Page)
Lawrence, born at Salem, Oct. 7, 1795, graduated at
Harv. Univ. 1815 ; in early life w^ent several voyages to
India, in later life retired on a farm in Danvers ; died in
Danvers, Dec. 21, 1879, aged 84. Original member.

JosiaJt JS^eic/iall, son of Jacob and Ede (Marble)
Newhall, of Lynnfield, born in Lynnfield, June 6, 1794.
In earl}^ life a teacher, afterwards a farmer and horticul-
turist; died in Lynnlield, Dec. 26, 1879. Elected a
member Feb. 13, 1867.

Thomas Mayo Breicer, son of Thomas Brewer, born
Nov. 21, 1814, in Boston, graduated at Harv. L'niv.,
1835 ; a physician, afterwards an editor and publisher,
distinguished as an ornithologist; died in Boston, Jan. 23,

1880, aged 65 years. Elected a corresponding member
Oct. 26, 1859.

Hichavd Frothingliam, son of Richard and Mary
(Thompson) Frothingham, born in Charlestown, Mass.,
Jan. 31, 1812, and was devoted during all his life to
literary pursuits ; author of "History of Charlestown,"
"History of the Siege of Boston," "Life of Gen. Joseph
Warren," etc., many years co-editor of the Boston Post,
ex-mayor of Charlestown; died at Charlestown, Jan. 30,
1880.

32

Benjamin Hodges Silshee^ son of William and ^laiy
(Hodges) Silsbee ; born at Salem, October 10, 1811;
graduated atHarv. Univ., 1831 ; merchant ; died Feb. 22,
1880. An oris^inal member.

Lewis J^. Tajjjpan^ son of Eben and Sallie (Hooper)
Tappan, born in Manchester, engaged in Mining opera-
tions, winters spent in Boston, summers in Manchester;
died in Leadville, Colorado, Feb. 25, 1880. Elected a
member Oct. 5, 1874.

William Dean Waters, son of Joseph and Mary (Dean)
Waters, born at Salem, Nov. 30, 1798; merchant; died
at Salem, April 20, 1880.

Field Meetings. — Four during the summer. First,
near Ship Rock, South Peabody, on Friday, June 20,
1879, the afternoon session was held in the chapel near by.
Rev. George F. Wright, of Andover, spoke of the geology
cf that vicinity, Messrs. James H. Emerton and G. A.
Perkins, of Salem, on the plants collected. Rev. C. C.
Carpenter and Samuel Brown, of South Peabody, Rev.
Messrs. Israel and Hosmer, of Salem, and the chairman,
on historical and general subjects. Second, at Andover,
Friday, June 27, 1879. The various places of historical
or scientific interest w^ere visited during the forenoon,
under the direction of Rev. George F. Wright, of that
place. The afternoon session was held in the Free Con-
gregational Church. The speakers were Rev. George F.
Wright, Prof. William H. Niles, Rev. Francis H. Johnson,
Prof. Goldsmith, principal of the Punchard High School,
Mr. J. H. Emerton, Rev. Selah Merrill, and Rev. E. S.
Atwood. Third, at the Asylum Station in Danvers,
Thursday, July 31, 1879. The afternoon session was held
in Hathorne Hall, in the Asylum Building. Dr. May,
the superintendent, gave a description of the building,
method of heating, ventilation, etc. The President and

33

Mr. Andrew Nichols alluded to the historical associa-
tions of this locality. Rev. L. M. Livermore, Mr. J. H.
Emerton, Dr. George A. Perkins, Rev. Fielder Israel,
Rev. Mr. Wright, of Danvers, made appropriate remarks.
Fourth, at Bay View, Gloucester, the seaside residence
of Col. J. H. French, by whose invitation a very pleasant
meeting was held, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 1879. The
Cape Ann Literary and Scientific Society united with the
Institute on this occasion. Col. French, Dr. Conant,
President of the Cape Ann L. and S. Society, Judge
Davis, Mr. J. H. Emerton, Judge Drake, of the Court of
Chiims, Washington, D. C. ; Prof. A. Hyatt, Dr. Davis,
and Mr. N.. A. Horton were among the speakers.

Excursions. — Three excursions. First, a summer
excursion, embracing the following interesting points :
Saratoga Springs, Watkins Glen, Seneca Lake, Niagara
Falls, River St. LaAvrence and Thousand Isles, Montreal
and Lake Memphreniagog, left Salem, Tuesday, July 15,
1879, and returned on Thursday, July 24. Second, the
autumnal excursion during the first week in September,
leaving Salem, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 1879, for Saratoga,
Lake George, Ticonderoga, Lake Champlain, Montpelier,
Vt., and the Franconia mountains, returning on Saturday,
Sept. 6. Third, to Washington, D. C, and Richmond,
Va., leaving Salem on Thursday, March 18, 1880, and
returning Saturday, March 27, with a side trip to Mount
Vernon and sufficient time to notice many objects of in-
terest in the two cities.

Lectures. — A course of eight Geographical lectures
nnder the direction of the Lecture Committee, was as
follows : 1st, Monday, Sept. 29, 1879, Rev. E. S. Atwood,
3

34

"Palestine." 2d, Monday, Oct. 13, 1879, Eev. George T.
Flanders, "Spain, Morocco and Algiers." 3d, Monday,
Oct. 27, 1879, Frederick E. Ober, "Lesser Antilles."
4tJi, Monday, Nov. 10, 1879, S. G. W. Benjamin,
"Portugal." 5th, Monday, Dec. 1, 1879, Eev. E. C.
Bolles, ^'England." 6th, Monday, Dec. 22, 1879, E. S.
Morse, "Japan." 7th, Monday, Jan. 5, 1880, Thomas
Davidson, "Athens." 8th, Monday, Jan. 12, 1880, Rev.
A. P. Peabody, "Russia." These lectures were carefully
prepared and most of them were illustrated by lantern
views, and were instructive.

In addition to the above, three courses of lectures, and
one of readings of six each — free to the public — were
given ; the only condition was that persons desiring to at-
tend should apply for tickets at the rooms of the Institute.
The results have been most gratifying. The class of people
for whom these lectures were intended has been reached,
and the liall has been filled with quiet, appreciative, and
attentive audiences.

1st, six lectures by L. E. Beckwith, " T/^e Lives and
Writings of the Prose Authors of the Age of Queen Anne,""
on Thursday afternoons, beginning Nov. 6, 1879 ; 2nd,
six lectures by Charles Sedgwick Minot, upon " Com-
jparative Embryology,''^ on Tuesday afternoons, commenc-
ing Jan. 6, 1880 ; 3d, six lectures by Ephraim Emerton,
" The Beginnings of Modern Life,'' on Wednesday after-
noons, commencing March 3, 1880 ; Prof. Henry Klein,
French and German Readings, on Monday afternoons,
commencing Monday, Feb. 16, 1880.

In addition to the above we may include the three
lectures on " Old England,'" by Rev. E. C. Bolles, on
Wednesdays, March 24, 31, and April 7, 1880, and a
lecture by Rev. C. T. Brooks, on the ^^ Roman Cam-

35

pagna" on Monday, March 8, 1880. These were not
under the direction of the Institute.

Meetings. — Regular Meetings usually on the first and
third Monday evenings of each month. The following
communications received and lectures delivered may be
specified: Mr. James Samuelson, of Liverpool, on
"Darwinism" and on "The Classification of Animals;"
William H, Tappan^ of Manchester, "Gold and Silver
Mines and Miners," the results of his experience in Cali-
fornia, Nevada, and Colorado ; James H. Emerton^
"Animals living at the bottom of Salem Harbor," the
results of dredging dnring the summer of 1879 ; W. S.
N^evinSf "Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii;"
D. B. Hagar, "Spelling Reform;" F, W. Putnam,
"The former Indians of Southern California, bearing on
the origin of the Red Man in America;" E. S. Morse,
"The influence of Early Korean Art upon Japanese
Pottery ;" Rev. Edward Colly er, of New York, "An
Episode in the life of Edward Fairfax;" Thomas H,
Walker, of Pottsville, Pa., "On Prison Discipline;"
Nathan Crosby, of Lowell, "Essex County and Essex
County Men;" Rev. Robert C. Mills, "Memoir of James
Upton;" James Kimball, "On the Early manufacture of
Glass in Salem," "Notes on the Richardson and Russell
Families;" Henry F, Waters, "The Gedney and Clarke
Families, of Salem, iNIass. ;" William P. Upham, "Rec-
ords of the First Church at Salisbury, Mass., 1687-1754."

Concerts. — Under the personal direction of the curator
of music five concerts have been given, with much credit
to the society as musical performances. The eleventh
season.

1st, Monday, Nov. 3, 1879, Mrs. G. C. Adams, Miss

36

Ita Welsh, Mr. W. E. G. Evans and Dr. E. C. Bullarcl,
under the direction of Mr. J. Phippen, jr., curator of
music. 2nd, Monday, Dec. 8, 1879, Mr. W. H. Sher-
wood, pianist, M'me Luisa Cappiani, soprano, Miss Julia
A. Wells, contralto, and Dr. Albion M. Dudley, tenor.
3d, Monday, Feb. 2, 1880, by Miss Fannie Lovering,
soprano, Mr. Bernhard Listemann, violin, Mr. Alex.
Heindl, violoncello, Mr. J. Phippen, jr., piano-forte. 4th,
Monday, Feb. 23, 1880, Piano-forte Recital by Mr. John
A. Preston, assisted by Miss Sara W. Barton, soprano.
Sill, an operetta, "The Crimson Scarf," Friday, April 9,
1880.

Mr. Joshua Phippen, jr., the Curator, gave in October
three piano-forte recitals ; these were quite successful and
drew together cultivated audiences.

Library. — The additions to the Library for the year
May, 1879 -May, 1880, have been as follows : —

By Donation.

Folios 27

Quartos 94

Octavos 483

Duodecimos 415

Sexdecimos 301

Octodecimos 52

Total of bound volumes 1,372

Pamphlets and Serials 6,494

Total of Donations 7,8'a(i

By Exchange.

Quartos 10

Octavos - 102

Duodecimos 10

Sexdecimos 2

Octodecimos 2

Total of bound volumes 126

Pamphlets and Serials 1,S81

Total of Exchanges 2,007

Quartos

Octavos

Duodecimos.
Sexdeciraos..

37

By Purchase.

Total of bound volumes.
Pamphlets

Total of Purchases

1

66
50
23

140
32

172

Total of Donations , 7,866

Total of Exchanges 2,007

Total by Purchase 172

Total of Additions 10,045

Of the total number of pamphlets and serials, 4,090
were pamphlets, and 4,317 were serials.

The donations to the Library for the year have been
received from one hundred and eighty-six individuals and
twenty-seven societies and departments of the General
and State Governments. The exchanges from seven in-
dividuals, one hundred and forty-four societies and in-
corporate institutions, of which ninety-one are foreign ;
also from editors and publishers.

Donations or exchanires have been received from the

following

Abbot, Francis E., Boston, Mass.,

Adams, H. B., Baltimore, Md.,

Adelaide, Philosopliical Society,

Albany, N. Y. State Library,

Alnwick, Berwickshire Naturalists' Field Club,

American Association Advancement of Science

American Social Science Association,

Anagnos, M., Boston, Mass.,

Andrews, Mrs. James H., . . . ,

Andrews, "Wm. P., . ».

Anthony, J. G., Estate of the late,

Appleton, Wm. Sumner, ....

Archer, Geo. B., Brooklyn, N. Y.,

Augsburg, Naturhistorischer Verein,

Baetz, Henry, Milwaukee, Wis.,

Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society,

Vols.
3

Pam.

29
1

38

Tols.

Baltimore, Md., Peabody Institute,

Bancroft, Cecil F. P., Andover, Mass., ....

Barton, Wm. G.,

Batavia, Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en We-

tenschappen, 1

Batavia, Natuurkundige Vereeniging in Nederlandsch

India

Beedliam, B., . 1

Belfast, Naturalists' Field Club, . . . .

Bemis, Luke, West Chester, Penn., . Newspapers,

Bergen, Bergenske Museum, 1

Berlin, Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde,
Berlin, Yerein zur Beforderung des Gartenbaues,

Bolles, Piev. E. C, Newspapers, 11

Bologna, Accademia delle Scienze,

Bonn, Naturhistorischer Verein der preussischen Ehein-

lande, und Westphalens, 4

Bordeaux, Academic des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts, 5

Bordeaux, Societe Linneenne,

Boston, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, . 1

Boston, City of, 3

Boston, Mass. Historical Society, 2

Boston, Mass. Horticultural Society,

Boston, Mass. Institute of Technology ....

Boston, Mass. Medical Society

Boston, N. E. Historic and Genealogical Society, . . 1

Boston, Public Library,

Boston, Scientific Society,

Boston, Society of Natural History, .... 1

Boston, Society of Medical Improvement, ... 1

Boynton, Herbert W., Boston, Mass., .... 7

Bradlee, Eev. CD.,

Braunschweig, Archiv fiir Anthropologie .... 1
Bremen, Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein,

Briggs, Miss M. E., Charts, Maps, 92

Bristol, Naturalists' Society,

Brock, R. A., Richmond, Va Newspapers, 5

Brooks, Henry M., 6

Brooks, W. K., Baltimore, Md.,

Brown, Horace, 23

Brunn, Naturforschender Verein,

Bruxelles, L'Academie Royale des Sciences des Lettres,

des Beaux Arts de Belgique, 6

Pam

1
2
5

13

1

1

1

2:1

123
1

2

1
1
5

16
6

15

16
1
3
1

20
2
9
4
1

37
3

39

Vols.

Bruxelles, Societe Beige de Microscopie,
Bnixelles, Societe Entomologique de Belgique,
Bruxelles, Societe Malacologique de Belgiqiie,
Buenos Aires, Sociedad Cieutifica Argentina,

Buffalo, Historical Society,

Buffalo, Young Men's Association, ....
Burnham, John H., Bloomiugton, 111., . . . .

Butler, George,

Caen, L'Academie Nationale des Sciences, Arts et Belles-

Lettres,

Calcutta, Geological Survey of India, ....

Caldwell, Augustine, Ipswich, Mass.,

Cambridge, Library of Harvard University,

Cambridge, Museum of Comparative Zoology, .

Cambridge, Nuttall Ornithological Club,

Cambridge, Peabody Museum of American Archeeolo^

and Ethnology,

Canterbury, N. Z. Philosophical Institute,

Case, L. P., Richmond, lud.,

Cassel, Verein fiir Naturkunde,

Chandler, Gardner L.,

Chaney, Geo. L., Boston, Mass., ....

Chase, Benj., Auburn, N. H.,

Cherbourg, Societe Nationale des Sciences Naturelles,

Chicago, Historical Society,

Christiania, Kongelige Norske Universitet,
Christiania, Videnskabs Selskabet, ....

Cole, Miss Caroline J., ...

Cole, Mrs. N. D.,

Collett, John, Indianapolis, Ind.,
Columbia, Mo., State University Library
Conklin, Wm. A., New York, N. Y., .

Cooke, Caleb,

Cresson, Ezra T., Philadelphia, Penn.,

Crosby, Mrs. M. K.,

Cutter, Abram E., Charlestown, Mass.,

Danzig, Naturforschende Gesellschaft, .

Darmstadt, Verein fur Erdkunde,

De Borre, Alf. Preudhomme, Bruxelles,

Dodge, Robert, New York, N. Y., .

Doolittle, Miss E., Troy, N. Y.,

Dresden, Naturwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft, "Isis,'

Dresden, Verein fiir Erdkunde, ....

1
I

11
2
3

3
1
1

1
1

41;

Pam.

12

12

33

1

1

11
5
1

10
4

3

12
1

49
1

1
69
3
1
2
151

2
2

40

Vols.

Dublin, Royal Irish Academy,

Dudley, Charles B., Altoona, Peun., ....
Dunning, Rev. Chas. U., Lawrence, Mass.,

Dlirkheim, Die PoUichia,

Edes, H. H., Charlestown, Mass., ....
Emden, Naturforschende Gesellschaft, ....

Emertou, James II., Newspapers

Emilio, Luis F., San Francisco, Cal., ....

Emmerton, James A.,

Erlangen, Physikalisch-medicinische Societat,

Essex Agricultural Society,

Falmouth, Eng., Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, .
Fearing, Andrew C, jr., Boston, Mass., ...
Fewkes, J. Walter, Cambridge, Mass., ....
Flanders, Rev. G. T., Lowell, Mass., . . Newspapers.

Fogg, Miss Ellen M.,

Folsom, Chas. F., Boston, Mass., ....

Foote and Horton, Newspapers,

Foster, W. E., Providence, R. I.,

Fowler, H. Gilbert, and others, Auburn, N. Y.,

Frankfurt, Senckenbergische naturforschende Gesellschaft

Frankfurt, Zoologische Gesellschaft, ....

Freiburg, Naturforschende Gesellschaft,

Geneve, Institut National GencA^ois, ....

Geneve, Sociele de Physique et d'llistoire Naturelle,

Giessen, Oberhessische Gesellschaft fiir Natur und Heil-

kiinde,

Gillis, James A.,

Goode, G. Brown, Middletown, Conn.,

Goodell, A. C, jr.,

Gorlitz, Naturforschende Gesellschaft,

Gottingen, Konigliche Gesellschaft der Wisseuschafteu,

Gould, John H., Topsfield, Mass., ....

Gould, Miss M. E.,

Gray, Arthur F., Danversport, Mass.,

Green, Samuel A., Boston, Mass.,

Gulliver, Rev. John P., Andover, Mass., . . .
Halifax, Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science,

Hall, E, W., Waterville, Me.,

Halle, Kaiserliche Leopoldinisch-Carolinische Deutsche

Akademie der Naturforscher, ....
Hamburg, Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein, .
Hamburg, Verein fur Naturwisseuschaftliche Unterhaltun

32

2
3

21

10

41

Vols.

Newspapers,
Newspapers,

Hannover, Naturhistorisclie Ges ells cli aft,
Harlem, Societe HoUandaise des Sciences,
Hart, Chas. Henry, Philadelphia, Penu.,
Hawkins, Dexter A., New York, N. Y.,
Hedge, F. H., jr., Lawrence, Mass.,
Henry, Thomas Elder, Dalkey, Ireland,
Hobart Town, Royal Society of Tasmania,

Hoffman, Mrs. Chas.,

Holmes, J. C, Detroit, Mich.,
Hoppin, James M., New Haven, Conn.,

Horton, N. A.,

Hotchkiss, Miss Susan V., New Haven, Conn.,
Huguet-Latour, Maj., Montreal,

Hunt, T. F.,

111. State Agricultural Society,
Israel, Rev. Fielder, ....

Ives, H. P.,

Ives, Mrs. Wm.,

Jenison, O. A., Lansing, Mich.,

Jenkins, Chas. T.,

Jocelyn, Miss M. E. W.,

Johnson, Mrs. Samuel,

Kempf, Matthew,

Ketchum, Rev. Silas, Poquonock, Conn., ....

Kidder, Frederic, Boston, Mass.,

Kimball, James, Newspapers,

Kimball, Mark, Chicago, 111.,

Kjobenhavn, Botanisk Tidsskrift,

Kjobenhavn, Kongelige Danske Videnskaberues Selskab,
Knox, John Jay, Washington, D. C,

Lander, Miss Elizabeth,

Langdell, Miss Annie,

Lang worthy, I. P., Boston, Mass., ....

Larned, Josephus N., Buffalo, N. Y.,

Lawrence, Geo. N.,

Lawrence, Public Library,

Lee, Francis H., Newspapers,

Leeds, Philosophical and Literary Society,

Le Mans, Societe d'Agriculture, Sciences, et Arts de la

Sarthe,

Leveridge, C. A., Dunellen, N. J., ....

Liege, Societe Royale des Sciences,

Lincoln, Francis H., Boston, Mass., ....

40

29

Pam.
1

2
1

20
1

1

23
5

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1

50
532

36
2

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6

8

1

8

1

138

11

13

1

152

1

1
1

42

Vols. Pam.

Lincoln, Solomon, jr., 37 86

London, Royal Society, 13

Lord, Mrs. Geo. R., 593

Lowell, Old Residents' Historical Association, . . 1

Lund, Kongliga Uuiversitetet, 2 12

Liineburg, Naturwissenschaftliclier Verein, ... 1

Luxembourg, Institut Royal Grand Ducal, ... 1
Lyon, Societe d'Agriculture, Histoire Naturolle et Arts

Utiles, 1

Lyon, Societe Linneenne, 1

Mack, Mrs. David, Belmont, Mass., 20 182

Mack, Miss Esther C, 1

Mack, William, 4

Madison, Wis. Historical Society, 1

Madrid, Observatorio, 7

Madrid, Sociedad Espafiola de Historia Natural, . . 1

Manning, R. C, 1

Manning, Robert, Newspapers, 14

Manson, A. S., Boston, Mass., 2

Marburg, Gesellschaft zur Beforderung der Gesammten

Naturwissenschaften, 9

Marsh, 0. C, New Haven, Conn., .... 1

Marshall, John W., Rockport, Mass., .... 1

Martindale, Isaac C, 1

May, Calvin S., Danvers, Mass., 1

Mecklenburg, Verein der Freunde der Naturgeschichte, 1

Meek, Henry M., 1

Mexico, Museo Nacional, 3

Milburn, Jos., Buffalo, N. Y., 3

Mills, Abraham, New York, N. Y., . . . . 1

Mills, Rev. E. C, 7 183

Milwaukee, Wis., Naturhistorischen Verein, . . 3

Montpelier, Vt., Historical Society, 1

Montpelier, Vt., State Library, 11 1

Montreal, Canada, Geological Survey, . . . . 2 3

Morse, E. S., 4 46

Mtinchen Koniglich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissen-

schaften, 19

Miinster, Westfalische Proviuzial Verein fiir Wissenschaft

und Kunst, 1

Nagle, John T., New York, N. Y., 2

Nashville, Board of Health, 1

Neuchatel, Societe des Sciences Naturelles, ... 1 1

43

Newspapers

Nevins, W. S.,

Newark, N. J., Historical Society,

Newhall, Miss Eliza G.,

New Haven, Conn., Academy of Arts and Sciences,

New Haven, Yale College Library,

New York, Academy of Sciences,

New York, American Chemical Society,

New York, American Geographical Society,

New York, American Water Color Society,

New York, Chamber of Commerce,

New York, Genealogical Biographical Society,

New York, Historical Society, ....

New York, Mercantile Library Association, .

Nichols, The Misses,

Noble, Edward H., .

Norfolk, John R.,

Oliver, Henry K.,

Orange, N. J., N. E. Society,

Packard, Mrs. A. S., jr.,

Paine, H, D., New York, N. Y.,

Palfray, Chas. W., .

Paris, Athenee Oriental,

Paris, L'Institution Ethnographique,

Paris, Societe Americaue de France, .

Paris, Societe d'Acclimatation,

Paris, Societe d'Anthropologle,

Paris, Societe des Etudes Historiques,

Peabody, John P., ....

Peabody, Mass., Peabody Institute,

Peet, Rev. S. D., Clinton, Wis.,

Peirce, Henry B., Secretary of State, Boston, Mass.,
Pennsylvania, University of Medical Department,

Perkins, Geo. A.,

Perkins, Henry, Philadelphia, Pa., . . . .
Perry, Wra. Stevens, Davenport, Iowa,

Petterd, Wm. P.,

Philadelphia, American Philosophical Society,
Philadelphia, Library Company, . . . .

Philadelphia, Mercantile Library Company, .
Philadelphia, Numismatic and Antiquarian Society,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Historical Society,
Phillips, Henry, jr., Philadelphia, Pa.,
Phoenix, S. Whitney, New York, N. Y.,

6

39
44
26

Vols. Pam.
8 8

1
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62

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143

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3
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Vols. Pam.

Pickering, Mrs. Chas., Boston, Mass., .... 1 1

Pickering, Miss Mary, .... Newspapers, 9 11

Pierce, B. 0., Beverlj^ Mass., 1 3

Pool, Wellington, Wenliam, Mass., .... 3

Poore, Ben. Perley, Washington, D. C, . . . . 1

Pope, Miss Lydia, 1

Porter, Robert P., Chicago, 111., 1

Prince, Geo. H., St. Petersburg, 1

Princeton, N. J. , E. M. Museum of Geology and Archaeology, 1

Procter, Joseph O., Gloucester, Mass., ... 1

Providence, Rhode Island Historical Society, ... 1

Putnam, Rev. A. P., Brooklyn, N. Y., . . . . 1

Putnam, F. W., Newspapers, 34

Quebec, Literary and Historical Society, ... 1

Regeusburg,K6niglichebayerische botanische Gesellschaft, 1 1

Rhees, Wm. J., Washington, D. C, .... 1

Rice, Wm., Springfield, Mass., 1

Robinson, John, Newspapers, 2 185

Ropes, N., Cincinnati, 0., 1 1

Ropes, Miss S., 1

Ropes, Rev. Wm. L., Andover, Mass., .... 1

Sale, Chas. L., Chelsea, Mass., 1

Sale, John, Chelsea, Mass., 2 3

Salem, Ladies' Centennial Committee, .... 6

San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences, . . 1

San Francisco, Mercantile Library Association, ... 1
S'Gravenhage, Nederlandsche Entomologische Vereeni-

ging, 3

Shepard, Jas. E., Lawrence, Mass., .... 1 51

Shepard, Miss Nellie J., New York, N. Y., ... 5

Silsbee, Mrs. B. H., 204 770

Sinclair, Chas. A., Boston, Mass., 1

Soule, Chas. C, Boston, Mass., 1 9

Spofi'ord, A. R., Washington, D. C, .... 1

Stearns, Robert E. C, San Francisco, Cal., ... 1

Stearns, Samuel, Lawrence, Mass., 1 2

Stearns, W. A., 4

Steiger, E., New York, N. Y., ..."... 1
St. Gallen, St. Gallische Naturwissenschaftliche Gesell-
schaft, 1

Stickney, Miss Cornelia, 17

Stilson, Rev. Arthur C, Ottumwa, Iowa, .... 1

St. Louis, Mo. Academy of Science, .... 1

45

Newspapers,

St. Louis, Mo. Public School Library

Stone, Miss Mary H.,

St. Paul, Minnesota Historical Society,

St. Petersburg, Academie Imperiale des Sciences,

St. Petersburg, Imperial Botanical Garden,

Stroyer, Rev. Jacob,

Sydney, Royal Society of New South Wales,
Tanaka, His Excellency Mr., Tokio, Japan, .

Tasmania, Government of,

Taunton, Eng., Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural

History Society,

Taunton, Mass., Old Colony Historical Society,

Taunton, Mass., Public Library, ....

Taylor, Wm. B., Washington, D. C,

Tenney, Mrs. H. A., Lansing, Mich.,

Thomson, Peter G., Cincinnati, O,,

Topeka, Kansas Historical Society, ....

Townsend, John P., New York, N. Y.,

Trondhjem, Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab,

Tuttle, Chas. W., Boston, Mass.,

Unknown,

Upham, Wm. P.,
Upton, Jas., Estate of the late,
Upton, Winslow, Detroit, Mich.,
U. S. Bureau of Education,
U. S. Dept. of Agriculture,
U. S. Dept. of Interior,

Vols. Pam.

U. S. Dept. of State,

U. S. Engineer Dept.,

U. S. Naval Observatory,

U. S. Patent Office,

U. S. P. 0. Dept., .

U. S. Treasury Dept.,

Utica, Oneida Historical Society,

Verrill, A. E., New Haven, Conn.,

Wadsworth, H. A., Lawrence, Mass.

Wallis, Al. C, Upsala,

Walter, Jos. R., Wilmington, Del.,

Walton, E. N.,

Washington, I). C, Smithsonian Institution,

AVaters, E. Stanley,

Waters, J. Linton,

Waterville, Me., Colby University,

Newspapers,

16

1
2
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63

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10
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5
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9

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icher

Watson, Miss C. A.,

Welch, Wm. L.,

Wheatland, Miss E., . . . . Newspapers,

Wheatland, H., Newspapers,

Wheatland, Miss Martha G.,

Whipple, Geo. M., Newspapers,

Whipple, S. K., Newburyport, Mass., ....
White, Kev. Wm. O., Boston, Mass.,
Wien, K. K. Zoologisch botanische Gesellschaft,
Wien, Verein zur Verbreitung Naturwissenschaftl

Keutnisse,

Wilder, Marshall P., Dorchester, Mass.,

Wilkins, Mrs. Chas.,

Wilmington, Delaware Historical Society,

Willson, Rev. E. B.,

Winthrop, Robert C, Boston, Mass.,

Woods, Mrs. Kate T.,

Worcester, American Antiquarian Society,

Worcester, Societ}'- of Antiquity, . . . ,

Wurzburg, Physikalish-medicinische Gesellschaft,

Zurich, Naturforschende Gesellschaft,

Vols.

Pam.

1

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2

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The following have been received from editors or pub-
lishers : —

American Bookseller. [Arts.

American Journal of Science and
American Naturalist.
Bangs' Catalogue.
Beverly, N. J. Banner.
Boston Herald.
Canadian Entomologist.
Canadian Naturalist.
Cape Ann Bulletin.
European Mail. [Journal.

Familiar Science and Fanciers'
Francis' Catalogue.
Gardener's Monthly.
Ipswich Antiquarian Papers.
Lawrence American.
Librarian.

Zoologischer

Lynn Reporter.
Musical Herald.
Nation.
Nature.

Our Dumb Animals.
Peabody Press.
Peabody Reporter.
Quaritch's Catalogue.
Review, P. H. S. [Friend.

Sailors' Magazine and Seamen's
Salem Gazette.
Salem Observer.
Salem Post.
Salem Register.
Turner's Public Spirit.
Vox Humana.
Anzeiger.

47

Horticulture. — The annual Horticultural Exhibition
opened on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 1879, and closed on Thurs-
day evening, Sept. 11. The display was good, the
flowers, ferns, pot plants and gladioli being very beautiful.
There was a good show of vegetables and fruits ; of the
latter, the pears took the lead in the number of varieties.
David Wentzell had some handsome Gravenstein apples
and other fruit, also a good display of vegetables ; F. H.
Appleton a fine collection of the products of "Broadfield's
Farm ; " the Plummer Farm School some giant Kuta-bagas
Mangel-wurtzel, and Stone Mason cabbage, etc. ; R. B.
Giflbrd and Samuel W. Pease some mammoth early Craw-
ford peaches ; Henry Poor some fine clusters of grapes,
Hamburgs and Black Prince ; T. Putnam Symonds a
good cluster of Hartford Prolifics ; Mr. Wilkinson, figs.

The centre of the hall was occupied with potted ferns
and plants from the greenhouses of John Robinson and
H. W. Putnam; Charles A. Putnam a beautiful pyramid
of gladioli, at the head of the hall a handsome collection
of asters, coleus, and pinks.

Among the exhibitors were the following : — Charles A.
Ropes, seventy-five dishes of fruit, George Pettingell,
forty-nine dishes, Aaron Nourse, thirteen, David Went-
zell, twenty. Fruit from George Bowker, E. H. Noble,
John Osborne, T. P. Symonds, Miss S. Ropes, Wm. H.
Dennett, Wm. Mack, George D. Putnam, Ezekiel Goss,
Miss E. P. Richardson, William L. Welch, Joseph
Symonds, James P. Cook, Mrs. M. Wilkinson, J. W.
Barton, George D. Glover, Mrs. Wm. F. Gardner, C.
A. Buxton, John W. Grant. Cut flowers from Mrs. C.
A. Ropes, H. W. Putnam, Mrs. C. H. Miller, Mrs. W.
F. Gardner, Mrs. E. D. Kimball, Mrs. J. P. Cook,
Joseph S^mionds, Wm. H. Whipple, B. D. Hill. Ferns
from John Robinson. Pot plants from John Robinson,

48

Henry Poor, Dr. H. C. Merriam, Miss Wilkinson, Mrs.
J. P. Cook.

Art Exhibitions. — There have been during the past
year, two exhibitions by the artists and amateurs of Salem
and its immediate vicinity — under the direction of the
Curator of Art. The first Avas held on Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday, June 11, 12 and 13, 1879. The
collection was confined, with one or two exceptions, to the
works of the artists of Salem, and as such was extremely
gratifying to all who are interested in aesthetic culture —
comprising some fine oil paintings, beautiful sketches
in water colors, charcoal, and crayons ; tiles and decorated
china, some charming results of the Potters' wheel, almost
equalling Limoges and Faience ; a good exhibit of pottery
from the Beverly establishment ; some excellent mechani-
cal drawings, original designs for oil cloths, etc., the work
of the pupils of our public schools. Some fifty-three ar-
tists represented were residents of Salem, contributing
over two hundred paintings and specimens of decorative
art.

The following is a list of the principal pieces on exhibi-
tion : —

St. John the Baptist and other pictures, Miss Mary R.
Kimball; head (oil), pencil drawings, Mrs. Horace S.
Perkins ; oil paintings, C. C. Redmond ; Cashmere goat,
Sybil (copy), Chilian milk venders, D. M. Shepard ; oil
paintings, J. Mackintire ; rocks at Marblehead, Julia S.
Warden ; water colors, C. P. Brown ; souvenir of Lex-
ington, Henry Chapman; head in charcoal, water colors,
storks, pottery. Miss M. M. Brooks ; house, seven gables,
Geo. M. White ; dog's head, tile, G. B. Haskell ; old
Notch house. Miss Agge ; pencil drawing, H. R. Stone ;
Beverly shore, oil pictures, pastel, Miss Louisa Lander;

49

wild flowers, Miss C. Grant ; water colors, Miss A.
Cassino ; charcoal sketch, Miss J. F. Barker ; violets,
apple blossoms, and other pictures, ^liss E. B. Gardner ;
crayon, storks, W. W. and F. L. Morse ; drawings, Mrs.
H. C. Weston; drawings by M. Kilham, A. L. Cone,
E. French, B. Whitney, L. Atwood, S. S. Kimball, S. S.
Kelley, J. J. Redmond, A. Porter, H. E. Carlton, C. S.
Sanborn, M. L. Hill, H. G. Hale, F. L. Morse, F. Moody,
H. Effie, C. S. Bliss. Oil panels, Miss E.K.Bolles ; panels.
Miss A. B. Holden; oil (hare), Mrs. G. P. Osgood;
fuchsia. Miss S. S. Kimball ; Japanese tea pot, C. K.
Bolles ; views in Beverly, A. E. Downes ; sketches in
oil. Miss H. F. Osborne ; water colors, Miss L. L. A.
Very ; collection of pencil and pen drawings by J. H.
Emerton ; charcoal drawings, G. L. Chandler ; six char-
coal sketches. Miss S. E. Smith ; collection of thirty-nine
sketches in oil and charcoal, from nature and objects, by
Miss S. E. Smith and pupils ; three oil paintings, C. P.
Brown; stork, cast from model. Miss M. E. Stanley; oil
panel, charcoal and other sketches, ]Miss H. K. Osgood ;
six oil paintings. Misses Williams ; oil panels, Miss
Kinsman ; charcoal sketches. Miss Phippen : Sorento
carving, W. W. Northend ; pen and ink panel, Miss
Northend ; wild flowers. Miss E. D. Williams; tea pot
and tray. Miss Cassino; decorated mirror frame. Miss A.
Perkins ; apple blossoms. Miss M. A. Cook ; lilacs, pansies,
(panels), horse chestnuts (oil), Miss S. E. C. Oliver;
heads, oil, quick sketches, Miss H. F. Osborne ; five water
colors, Miss K. Peirson ; four oil pictures, C. C. Redmond ;
thirteen oil pictures, George Xewcomb ; collection of seven
sketches in water colors, by Chas. F. Whitne}^ and pu-
pils ; popular and choice decorations, IMisses Lander,
Hood, Chadwick, Perkins, Williams, Machado, Willson,
Cleveland, Smith, Silsbee, Brooks, Pratt, Osgood, King,

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. XII 4

50

Phillips, Mr. G. B. Haskell, Mr. W. W, Northencl ; em-
broidery. Misses Peirson, Cbadwick, Forrester, Mrs. E.
S. Johnson, Mrs. J. Robinson ; tiles painted in oil, pupils
of Miss S. E. Smith.

The Second Exhibition opened on Thursday, April
29, 1880. The collection embraced some three hundred
and fifty contributions, covering a -wide range in variety
of oil, water-color, crayon, charcoal and sepia sketches,
elegant Kensington work, decorated china, plaques and
panels, pottery and screens with laces and embroidery.

Among the artists whose works were represented are
the following: — clay models and oil paintings. Miss
L. L. A. Very; two oil paintings. Miss Ida Caller; oil
painting. Miss H. F. Osborne, and one from Miss A.
Machado ; two paintings, ornamented plate. Miss L. B.
Hood ; marine view, Clark Oliver of Lynn ; seven paint-
ings, G. L. Chandler; two views, Mrs. N. A. Frye ;
"Low Tide," H. A. Hallett ; tile and decorated china,
Mrs. N. A. Frye; decorated fans, etc.. Miss Charlotte
Chase ; two pencil studies. Miss Mary L. Webb ; table
cover, door panel, and fire screen. Miss C. L. Grant;
oil painting, Thomas Pitman ; two paintings, Helen
Philbrick; do. Miss C. S. Philbrick ; ornamented tile,
Miss M. P. Ober ; ornamented tile and china, Abby G.
Pingree ; two views, J. W. Averill ; lace work, Mrs. H.
M. Toppan ; ornamented fans. Miss E. Phillips, Mrs. J.
C. Lee, and Mrs. F. H. Lee ; six paintings, Martha O.
Barrett of Peabody ; painting of flowers, Mis's E. E.
Barrett ; water colors. Miss M. Taylor and M. A. Fornis ;
four oil paintings, Mrs. C. N. Clark; paintings and em-
broidery. Miss i\L H. Stevens ; charcoal drawing and pen
and ink sketch, J. W. Thyng and Miss S. C. Harris ; panel
pictures, Mrs. George H. Jacobs ; water colors and char-

51

coal drawings, Miss H. M. King ; pen and ink drawings,
Mrs. N. G. Symonds ; flowers, Miss E. R. Plaisted ; oil
painting, Mr. C. C. Redmond ; ornamented tile and panels,
Miss H. L. Kimball ; oil paintings, Miss S. E. Pratt ; orna-
mented china, etc., from Miss E. W. Chad wick and Miss
A. B. Holden ; decoiated plate, Miss A. F. Perkins ;
three easels, Mrs. Chas. W. Perkins ; charcoal drawings.
Miss E. A. Nichols; "Derby wharf," C. P. Brown;
ornamented tile, Henry A. Chapman ; embroidered work,
Mrs. G. F. Ropes, Susie O. Currier; inlaid work, C.
E. Larrabee ; oil sketches. Miss H. K. Osgood ; panel
pictures, Mrs. G. P. Osgood ; table cover. Miss M. ^Y.
Farrington ; charcoal sketch, Mrs. E. S. Johnson; crayon
drawing, Miss A. H. Short; landscapes on fans. Miss A.
Sweetser ; oil colors and plate, Miss E. T. Dike ; em-
broidered work, Mrs. G. B. Jewett ; twelve cards. Miss
Lucy H. Cleveland ; ornamented vases, C. A. Lawrence ;
crayon and pen sketches, Arthur M. Frye ; panel. Miss
E. F. Earle ; plate. Miss Lander ; lion's head from a cast.
Miss A. A. Agge ; lambrequin, Miss Ella W. Fisk ; crayon
work, Miss M. E. Dockham ; blankets. Miss A. Pitman ;
oil painting, plates, cups and saucers, Mrs. E. S. Johnson ;
India ink drawings, Mrs. H. H. Davis ; paintings, by Miss
S. E. C. Oliver and eight of her pupils; sketch of E. I.
Marine Hall, interior view, by J. H. Emerton ; em-
broidered work, by Mrs. P. T. Pickering and Miss E.
R. Pickering ; oil colors. Miss E. B. Gardner, and Misses
E. B. and Bessie Gardner; apple blossoms. Miss Gold-
thwaite ; w^ater colors. Miss M. M. Brooks; crayon por-
traits, C. H. Fillebrown ; fans, Mrs. R. C. Manning ; paint-
ing. Miss A.L. Pike ; oil colors, J. S. Warden ; panels, Mrs.
C.W.Smith ; fans and lace, Misses M.G.and E.Wheatland ;
apples, Annie Forrester ; fancy work, Miss E. Forrester ;
paintings. Miss Nellie Phippen; pen and ink drawing,

52

fiiiicy cards, Geo. M. White ; screens and panels, Miss
Holden ; fans, Miss Snsan E. English; water colors and
fan, M. E. Stanley and Miss Ada Pitman; flowers, Mrs.
Jos. Symonds ; oil paintings. Misses M. E. and A. O. Wil-
liams ; drawing on wood, Miss Rosie Symonds ; fan, Mrs.
H. S. Perkins; water color studies, Mrs. C. W. Smith;
embroidery, Miss Nellie F. Clarke ; bracket, S. C.
Weston; water colors, G. W. Harvey of Gloucester;
sofa pillow. Miss F. L. Pitman ; Kensington work. Miss
A. Chadwick ; worsted work. Miss L. Eaton ; tile and
stand, Miss E. W. Chadwick ; interior of Dr. Bolles' study,
Kimball Bolles ; two drawings, each of a locomotive, one
by Geoige H. Good ell aged nine years and the other by
Henry Gardner aged seven years, were very noticeable
under such circumstances. A screen by Miss Edith Ran-
toul ; a case of fine specimens of pottery in original de-
signs, made from Salem clay and baked in this cit}^, by
Miss Louisa Lander, occupied the centre of the hall.
Miss L. has been for some time experimenting in glazes,
and has discovered one which appears to be fully equal to
that of the celebrated Limoges ware for depth and bril-
liancy of color. An imitation of Japanese ware was also
good.

Museum. — The specimens in Natural History including
those in Ethnology and Archeology, which have been given
during the year, are on deposit with the trustees of the
Peabody Academy of Science, in accordance with pre-
vious arrangement. These have been reported at our
meetings and have been duly acknowledged to the several
donors. In additiion to the above those of an historical
character or possessing artistic interest have been arranged
in the rooms. The following may be specified as contrib-
utors : John Robinson, Miss M. E. Brisfo's, Charles T.

53

Perkins, Miss Ravel, Miss E. B. Gardner, James Kimball,
J. H. Huntington, Robert Brookhouse, Miss F. P. Ashton
Snow, Eclw. Stanley Waters, W, Kite, Caleb Bufiiim,
E. C. Bolles, David Nichols, A. S. Peabody, Mrs. N. D.
Cole, T. B. Nichols, H. K. Oliver.

Publications have been issued as heretofore, — the
Bulletin, vol. xi, and Historical Collections, vol. xvi.
The exchange list, with few exceptions, continues the
same as last year.

Manuscpjpts from Miss Mary E. Briggs, Mrs. James
Pope of Melrose, Miss Caroline R. Derby's estate, George
E. Emery of L3'nn, Mrs. Joseph S. Cabot, James A.
Gillis, Caleb BufFum, John A. Norfolk, and T. F. Hunt.

Financial. — The Treasurer's Report exhibits the re-
ceipts and expenditures of the past year, presented in
detail, but here condensed for printing.

RECEIPTS.

Balance on hand, commencement of year $25i 7G

General Account.

Salem Athenaeum \ expense, 1878— $136 90 ^

1879 127 87 5= $264 77

Dividend and return tax 31 77

Assessments, 888 00; Publications, 582 67; Donations, 47 50,=:1,518 17

Lectures, Concerts, Excursions and Hall, 2,904 10

$4,718 81

Historical Fund.

Interest of investment, 43 50

Natural History Fund.
Interest of investment, 28 00

Davis Fund.
Interest of investment, 482 85

54

Ditmore Fund.
Interest of investment,. .^ 180 00

Manuscript Fund.
Interest of investment, 40 08

Ladies' Fair Fund.
Interest of investment, 60 00

Derby Fund.
Eent of land,. 30 00

Wm. B. Howes Fund.

Received fi'om executrix,... $24,400 00

Interest received since investment, 395 00

24,795 00

$30,633 00
EXPENDITURES.

General Account.

Salem Athenseum, rent 1878— $350 ")

" 1879—3505= $700 00

Salaries, $2,045 00; Publications, $1,668 93= 3,713 93

Fire Insurance $60; Books 107 82= 167 82

Sundry Accounts, 368 SO

4,950 55

Historical Fund.
Book binding, 116 00

Natural History Fund.
Book binding, 21 50

Davis Fund.
Interest "Warren Savings Bank [Funded] 102 85

Ditmore Fund.
F. J. Perkins, Annuity, 100 00

Manuscript Fund.
Interest Five Cents Savings Bank [Funded] 40 08

Howes Fund.

Amount invested, per Separate Report, 24,496 91

Paid on account of old note 300 00

Balance in hands of Treasurer, 505 11

$30,633 00

55

On Friday, the 2 2d of June next, will occur the two
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the landing of John
Winthrop on these shores. It is proposed to hold the first
Field Meeting at that time. Robert S. Eantoul, Esq., has
accepted an invitation to deliver the address ; Miss Lucy
Larcom to prepare a poem. Other gentlemen will be
present and take part in the exercises of the day, and it
is hoped that the occasion may be a successful commem-
orative event. The meeting will be held at the Pavilion
on Salem Neck.

Additions to the Library and the several collections
are constantly being made by donations and from other
sources. The subject of increased accommodation for
the valuable material, so fast accumulating will, ere long,
require the consideration of the ofificers, members, and
friends of the Institute ; whether the present is the most
suitable time to make a general elibrt to provide means
for a fire-proof building is an important question to de-
cide. That the society needs and ought to have such a
building, no one will deny.

The Treasurer reports the payment of the generous
bequest of the late Wm. B. Howes to the Institute, and
makes a clear and full report of the finances.

In concluding this retrospect of the doings of the In-
stitute during the year, it is hoped that these annual ex-
hibits, of a steady and healthful growth in the right
direction, and of a gradual advance in the promotion of
its various objects, will secure the respect and good
wishes of the community at home and abroad.

56

Monday, May 24, 1880.

Meeting this evening. The President in the chair.
Kecords read.

Mr. Edward A. Silsbee gave

AN informal talk, ON SUNDRY ARCHITECTURAL
AND ART TOPICS.

Coming from Boston there is an old house standing
alone in a beautiful open spot sloping to the water. It
is very old. Like the venerable men who came down
to us from a former generation, this has descended from
many. It is refreshing and unchanged in an ever-new
land. Long may it remain. I look upon it with affec-
tion. Two centuries speak through it. It takes us back
to witchcraft. Its black color the winds and weather
have painted. It is flat on the ground. One massive
chimney is stacked in the centre, clustered in masses and
solid as the earth. It is simple as a Doric temple and not
unworthy as a human record to stand beside it. The
bleak centuries have howled about it and raved, life has
gone on there and it has threaded its way to our time.
Fire has spared it.

Bare, bald, unornamented, these houses are like mon-
uments of the past. They plead with posterity. They
seem to say to us : "Disturb us not, respect old age."
It touches us with pathos. It is a voice of Pilgrim days,
of Indians, of Quakers, a new continent, a worthy be-
ginning when life was barely lodged here and struggling
for a place to plant itself, and the nation was 3^oung and
civilization new. The Indians saw its raising. The Pil-
o-rim struo^ofled with the savas^e. AYhere there are so few
symbols, such a paucity of relics, and the centuries are so
rare, indeed, we cannot aflbrd to neglect them, these old

57

houses. They are our century flowers, as the mediaeval
cathedrals are Europe's and as significant, in their way, of
the stern unconquerable fiiith that brought them here.

I insist upon them for they are memorable to the eye
and to the feeling.

One catches me, as I go to the Beverly station, with its
impressive bulk, and one huge chimney showing above
the trees. How they reproach the puniness of later times,
monoliths, no one divided their mass or exhausted their
simplicity. A history and character are in them, they are
gothic. Our life is raw enough, and new, and needs to be
tempered by the past. Cliaracter is like geology, the
world is built into it. Where we have so little old, what
with constant nres, and changes, and building over and
over on the same spot (it seems as if the American re-
sented an old thing, or were ashamed of it ; and inside our
houses, what wont our women do) ? we should preserve
what we have. We need it in our bustling modern life.
Every appeal the past makes is refining, humanizing. It
seems our buildings are tents from which w^e remove as
easily. The American is a kind of Bedouin for shiftiness
of place. The past is obliterated ruthlessly.

One cannot exaggerate their impressiveness. The pur-
itan might come out of them to-morrow. They are the
only mementoes we have. Two hundred years old ! what
else have we so old as that? Why, everything is five
or fifty years old here at best ! As expressive are they
in their homely worth as the cathedrals of their enriched
and stately worship. The tooth of time has gnawed at
them in vain. They feast the eye and repose the mind.
The slope in front is dotted with apple trees, itself a
curly dot. This busy sturdy tree is just like the people,
and of most expressive growth. Like a bustling house-
wife, it has a domestic air, like fowls — a barnyard tree.
It seems to belong to the house, to be one of the fiimily,

58

no tree comes so near to us ; there is thrift in every branch.
It has something to do. It is not idle or lazy like the
elm, for dawdling and showing off. Well, that's better
than the weeping willow, a pure bit of sentimentalism
in nature. The elm is another type, very varied, some-
times great and noble, more often scrawny, coarse and
rank, of poor foliage and vegetable growth, not well
knit, forked rather than right-angled, of a feathery plumy
shape, not appropriate for tree form. It is like our thin
sentimentalism and rage for effect. We are not yet knit
in the fibre of maturity. The elm has not half the char-
acter of the apple.

This house of which I speak is at the entrance of Re-
vere, to the left. Coming through the town there is an-
other on the same side of similar age. Here is a chimney
of very pretty design, terminating in two pierced or looped
pinnacles with a solid member between.

The situation and the ride altogether are lovely. Hills
of exquisite slope, mild declivity, as Byron says : fair,
wide-stretching views open as the sky, an unoccupied
country; the ocean peering in the land ; thicketed rocks,
purple crimson-stained meadows, salt grass, and the
sturdiness and strength of things seize you like a passion.
Salt marshes season our very bones.

There was poetry in the old scattered colonial times,
though nobody has found it out. Hawthorne is too sub-
jective, introspective to do it justice. He would deck
it out in colors of romance which it will not bear. We
need a Walter Scott with homelier touch, and a simple ob-
jectivity and picturesqueness. It is the ocean and the
land at play which produce this coast about Boston, as
if they dallied with each other, and did not know which
was which, and were locked in sweet embraces. No
lovelier mingling of marsh and hill exists.

These houses are apart from all other periods. They

59
brouofht the feelinsrs which oriorinated them with them.

c o o

They root themselves in the ground from which they
grow. The mass is a simple unity. Nothing has been
done here so severely full of character. They are the
earliest and best things in design the country possesses.
Doric in simplicity, Gothic in skyey feeling, the vast
slope of the roof makes a splendid line of continuity.
Nothing in Europe is finer than their simple expressive-
ness and detached character. They grow from the soil.
This was gothic feeling, to begin from the ground. It
plants itself like a tree or a monntain, and clasps the soil
in which it roots itself. Classic is lodged, superimposed,
and has no principle of growth, nor is it so near to the
earth and representative of it. They are large, at least
in effect — Doric did not depend for its grandeur on size —
majestic. They hold us by a spell of the imagination like
early records. The imagination wants a background in
which she can paint something. She is worried in the
present. They are generally isolated, or were originally.
They were generous of land in those days. They rule the
domain, are emphatically mansions of a primitive type,
boulders from a mightier past. Like the grim towers
and castles of the middle age which lie like a vast skeleton
over Europe, they reflect another age. The baths, the
bridges, the huge amphitheatres scattered over southern
Europe and along the Mediterranean are the mastodon of
Rome — an extinct species. The pyramids, like mountain
tom])s in a desert land, are the bones of Egypt. The age
they represent is gone completely as the feudal time.
How finely were they in character with that great man
the puritan.

It is mass makes architecture, and proportion, the ar-
rangements of it, and the cunningness of line and parts.
This great lean-to is like a hood to the house, as if it

60

were drawn over it to cover it, and looks marvellously
comfortable smothered in storm as they must have been
in those days, and away from neighbors. Like an ark,
it shelters from winds and weather. They are the only
tender memorials of the first primitive time we have.
There are no graves. Whenever I see one of these
houses I am carried back two hundred years in a twink-
ling, transported out of this present and landed in the
dim past. Can anything else do it for us here ? does any-
thinof else?

Walking the other day in North Andover, I was de-
lighted with the design of a chimney. In that house
the inmates were scalped by the Indians. An architect
had stopped the previous season to sketch it. Richly
clustered it was like a bit of gothic times.

A hundred years passed, the colonists were rich. Or-
nateness came and social charm. The houses were still
flat on the ground, and the lawn came in at the window.
There was much dignity preserved and breadth to the
end of the century, and then character passed out. Houses
were perked on underpinnings and no sense of design
left. They were comfortable, but not architectural. The
time of the Hancock house and Pickman house, in this
town, was the first ornate period and the best. It seems
to me there have never been houses here possessing more
quiet dignity and charm. They were fifty feet away
from the street. A rich scroll ornamented the ample
doorway, and often a leaden image between. How this
fascinated the boys ! The massive knocker did away with
the vulgar tintinabulation of bells.

The pineapple house on Brown street was my boj^ish
landmark, and how sweet and tender that house still is,
put by in a side street. In 1810 the houses were ten feet
from the street, and one approached them b}^ flaring stone

61

steps. Imposing as this was, it was not domestic. The
old charm and rusticity of placing had gone. They still
build in England on the grass and always have. Why we,
who have the drier climate, should ascend into the air I
cannot tell. Perhaps the snow^ banked against the wooden
house rotted it, but they did not find this out for a hundred
and fifty years. At any rate it ruins houses for beauty
to place them away from the soil, the grass, the shrubs.
These should nod into the windows and bower the porch,
as if they belonged to the family, and the sweep of lawn
and floor should be one — at least for l^eauty and senti-
ment, and I believe it can be reconciled with health. In
1800 the house of Judge Endicott was raised but it is
still away from the street. A beautiful doorway and
sweet house next Mr. W^illson's church, down street, was
raised in the same way ; the roofs of these houses were
full of cheer ; much may be made of roofs. They are
in themselves an architecture. How they disappeared
afterwai'd ; nothing was made of them until these late
years, when they have been overdone with no correct pure
feeling:. AValkinsr aloni^ the delisfhtful old streets of
Salem, or any similar New England town, this feature,
with the benignity of it, and the tender placing on the
ground, charm one. How vulgar the later building,
gingerbread ornaments, bed-post details and designs
turned out by the lathe !

Until, in these late years, education is ridding us of this
display of cheap commonplace ; but now the architect runs
wild with us, as formerly the builder. Breadth, propor-
tion, repose, we rarely see it now as it prevailed to 1800
— simple dignity. This has given w^ay to such countless
variety of styles that I hold it a reproach to architecture,
that it never does anything of its own but constantly re-
produces, imitates, selects. In their day the styles suf-

62

ficecl, and expressed something, the feeluigs of the occu-
pants and the time. Now we are Chinese or Peruvians in
the same breath. Architecture cannot be a living art
when it chooses so widely. They could not build but as
they did in the good periods. They knew nothing better,
or other.

Salem was fortunate in possessing one architect of great
merit at a later date. Macintire had the genius of the re-
naissance. His designs are most refined and delicate.
He has left the best church of the steeple spire order
that can be seen in New England. This is the one in
Chestnut street. The fine steps have been taken away and
the door injured. A charming design was the house of
Mr. Rogers, opposite the market. The upper part is still
beautiful. The Assembly house in Federal street is an-
other. The old common gates were very stately, and
showed true style.

There was a period of Doric taste, Tuscan Doric, which
has left admirably proportioned roofs and noble porches.
The Stearns house has one, and there is one in Chestnut
street. These are the sifted results of centuries of archi-
tectural feeling. Wherever one has attempted to replace
them with other designs or proportions one has made a sad
bungling. These old styles, if once meddled with, are
ruined. Such was the case with the Boardman house, built
by my grandfather, opposite the eastern gate of the com-
mon, once excellent for porches and proportion. The
proportion of the roof remains. General Washington
was astonished, on his visit to Salem, that a sea captain
could build such a house. In those primitive days it was
the largest around the mall.

As an illustration of the styles, and the contrast they
present, the imaginative significance of them, it is in-
structive to stud}^ two late churches in Boston, the one

63

ill Arlington street and the other in Berkeley. The one
is composite, the other gothic. The Arlington street is
a very poor production in its own style, has no just pro-
portion nor elegance and is a clumsy copy of St. Martin's
In The Fields, in Trafalgar Square, London. The
steeple spire can never have much inspiration in it though
it may have elegance. Spires are gothic. They are the
fine fruit of its aspiration. Gothic is a thirst, a climbing,
an aspiration. Great interiors, with ribbed and bended
roofs, are like hands folded in prayer, and stretched to
heaven. Every moulding is an emotion, pinnacles are
ecstas}^ niches are psalms, shafts are anthems, stained glass
the heaven itself, sunset or the dawn. Gothic is like soul
in style, classic mind ; the one poetr}', the other prose ;
gothic feeling, classic thought. One is of heaven, the
other earth. However broken, the snatches of it enchant,
like strains of music. As a natural vegetation, it entwines,
shoots, and embraces. It is mysterious, exuberant, un-
ending. It is like a monument to nature built by man.
In no other style has the spire a raison (T etve. Others
are piled up, imposing, but not inspired. Grace, majesty,
proportion, design, do not supply this motive of soaring,
vaulting growth, and piercing exultation. They are cold.
Gothic is as multitudinous as nature. She miirht have done
it herself. It is like three centuries of Shakespeare. In
its greatness, all men's lives were in it, and all their lives.
Other styles eke out their outlines with clums}^ expedients,
urns, and vases, and knobs. Gothic produces every part
out of every other part, naturalh^ as nature works. It is
evolved, integral, fused. In other styles ornaments are
lodged, attached, in this they grow. One is constructed,
the other lives. Composite styles miss the inevitable, as
AA'ordsworth says, Goethe's lines do. They have de-
scended from ancient times, and nothing akin anciently

64

had place ; no feelings of mystery strove and strnggled
for expression, nor were they possessed with the passion
of the infinite, which is the principle of gothic. Faith did
not flame in the air. The earth sufSced, and they sym-
bolized it. All notes of action seem natural to gothic.
Tl]e members multiply, cluster, divide ; they mantle, reach,
rush, throng and cling upward. It was the literature of
the middle age. The people read in it, as in a book ; their
sanctuary and catechism. Religion is in every turn, and
twist, and point, and pinnacle ; and so was life. It is fer-
vid, swift, kindling, and has well been called frozen
music. It has a unity like faith itself. It is embodied
religion. Nothing touches us like this ecstasy and prayer
that it is — a message sent to heaven, pointing to the other
v\^orld — so impassioned, it cleaves space as if it would get
away from the earth, and longed for some other sphere —
its sempiternal heritage. Its coignes of vantage ensnare
the mind.

Now all this is seen in Europe when we study cathe-
drals, and -compare them with the studied styles. One
comes with this impression, and applies it to the opposite
orders here. There is sufficient ground for the distmction
and significance, or lack of it, in styles, if we compare the
two churches named, which constantly catch the eye every
time we cross the open spaces in Boston ; and they force
themselves upon the attention. The evening sky makes
all beautiful. A radiant atmosphere spreads, and they all
point into space, or lift themselvc^s, with one common sen-
timent of serenity and adoration. In cooler moments we
observe their excellences and defects. Campaniles have
added a new feature to the city, and the Venitian archi-
tect has eiu'iched it with the poetry of styles. It com-
bines the repose of classic with the warmth of gothic or
flowingness, the life and verticalness. All is curve, yet

65

it is playful, elegant, graceful and not thin. Balanced,
it touches with sweetness and rhyme the prose of other
orders. They seem cold beside it. Surely no other fa-
cades crowding a city ever held one as Venice does.
One wanders in it as in an enchanthig place, lifting itself
above the water, as it does, where everything enriches by
contrast, as if it had been created above the sea by the
curve and impnlse of its wave, restrained and fixed in laws
of beauty as nature herself works. We are never tired
there of the order. It is too beautiful to satiate, and it
is elegantly distributed and changed. Infallible laws
governed Gothic, as they did Greek, and both partook of
nature at the sonrce, each in its own kind. Every time one
passes a Venetian front here, one is stirred, a strain comes
over one, and the eye kindles, and the feeling is touched.
This is the case when we come upon that angle by the
common where the group of the Boylston house and the next
building stands, and compare it with all other styles; or
simply view a touch of the incomparable arch and group-
ing wherever it is applied, and used tolerably. Like Ve-
netian painting, it was the sole creation of Venice, and it
has never been surpassed. The wondrous city created
two things, its architecture and its painting, and it left
literature aside. It was like a radiant bridsre from an-
tiquity to the present time, impinging on the East. The
works of Mr. Cummings, adapted here, not always equal,
have planted this noljle style, and they are the most im-
posing civic things in the cit}^ it seems to me.

Of Interiors : — They are ingenious and overcharged,
as in literature Tennyson is oversweet. Browning over-
rough, Emerson overpithy. The great style has repose.
Le dcfaut de ses qucdites, as the French say. We are suf-
focated with bric-a-brac, tortured into picturesqueness.
Gothic has been let loose in the house. We sigh for the

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. XII 5

66

relief of older styles before mankind became grapliic.
Beautiful objects, beautiful ornaments should be kept in
place. It is an emhaiTas to have too much even of a good
thing, to live in a museum. We cheapen all these things
by heaping them, and displaying them. The eye is wearied,
the taste surfeited. To live with such distractions is a
mistake akin to being alwaj's in romantic spots, pictur-
esque situations, the sublime, rough, wild or savage. It
is not for constant contemplation. The mind wants sim-
plicity^ to dwell with, and nature in her every-day, her
morning gown. Grass}^ sweeps and turfy banks, trees,
flowers, shrubberjs and quiet dells and nooks. It strains
at the sublime and unusual, and is not alwa3^s in a mood
of the picturesque. On the Beverly shore I prefer the
smooth places with roughness near. Nothing gives such
quiet satisfaction as grass, lawns, shrubs, habitableness.
A barberry bush is well enough, only not to live in. They
pall upon us. They are not for every day, and at all
hours. There is delightful invention, the architect, the
decorator have all been at work. We are not left alone
a moment. Thc}^ are alive all about us. It is charming,
what they have done to beguile monotony of its dulness,
tameness of its insipidity, and to stimulate surprise. They
besiege us, they must show off their hand. This will settle
down at last to some recognized styles having unity and
principle in them and repose. Now all is heterogeneous,
one almost says, mongrel, h3'brid — ornament at all haz-
ards. The Avorld never saw such a chaos. Whims are
flying about like flies. Yet it is very delightful in parts,
and the freshness and independence are hopeful.

Of Monuments in Boston, this may be said, the largest
and most important is the cheapest commonplace. Bor-
rowed from a poor and late clerical monument at Rome
it worsens that. The figures are meagre, not monumental ;

67

the ornament — eagles, bands, wreaths — of the stalest. It
is a splendid position. What an opportunity lost ! The
surmounting figure cannot move for her clothes. The
artist's Glover is better and alive, and has force, master3^
So the horticultural hall decorative statues are good, being
adapted from antiquity. The other figures in the town
are feeble enough, or tame — Sumner, Quincy, Webster,
Everett. If Lincoln is better, the group lacks composi-
tion and design. The Washington monument is a tame^
trotting, picture-book horse and man. There should bo
in all monuments a certain fire, force of character and in-
spiration. It is like writing an ode, you cannot fail, 3'ou
are lost. If you attempt the heroic 3^ou must be equal
to it. A monument is a lyric, a commemoration, a poem ;
there must be some touch of enthusiasm in it to make it
a success. It is an ambitious effort. It strikes a high
key, the art should respond. Simple representation and
historic portrait, imless done with cunningest hand, will
not do. The l)est things in this kind are the two statues,
one of Sophocles and one unknown, in the Naples and
Latcran museums, and the Demosthenes (casts are in the
athenaeum), and Frederick the Great at Berlin. These
have that intense seizins: of character with heroic feelinfi:,
like Titian's portraits. The same passion is lacking in
this monument of Washington, that we miss in poetry here.
Of ]\lilton's three words, two are wanting, sensuous, pas-
sionate. The pedestal is thin. It has that fatal quality
of commonplace. Yet it is vigorous in parts, far removed
from vulgarity, and a dignified work. As to portrait
statues, the worst I have seen, are the buckram men in
bronze put up outside of Westminster Abbey. We cannot
have genius every day, and sculpture is scarcely a living
art in any representative or vital sense. It only deals in
portraiture with any success. The command of the figure

68

is rare. "Ward seems to have it, but he strikes us as lack-
ing reliiiement and ideality. It is a good piece of work of
his above the ether monument. Instructive it is to com-
pare this monument with the one on the common ; as
instructive as the two churches are in sight from these
points of view, the Arlington, the Berkeley street ; in each
case to show excellence or defect of style. The ether
monument seems to want freedom, and is technical, as
the other lacks all education and design. No one can
pass the two churches without seeing the grace and feel-
ing of the one, and the parody the other is of all grace
and proportion. It simply mocks the gothic with ugly
parallels.

Among, the old things, are the wooden images, which
used to be in Salem, elegant, rustic, graceful objects.
One remains in the Derby house grounds nearly opposite
the City Hall. These appear to have been Italian in sen-
timent, and are like much existing in Italy now, and which
/always has existed there since the Roman times, and the
Greek and Etruscan before it. That country loves objects
out of doors and against the air, and one said once there
were more statues than men at Rome. They are dug up
as we dig arrowheads here, the relics of the former in-
habitants. There is iron work too, and excellent old
fences of stately and ornamental design. These are the
lost styles. They have a true interest as the old furniture
has. How much they spoke to their time and represented
it ! How much elegance there was in them, refinement
and taste ! Stately often, imposing and chaste. Wain-
scoting, panels, cornice-work, headings, majestic sweeping
staircases, and landings like a palace, embayed windows,
window seats, balusters, scrolled, of fairy lightness, and
rails that curved, descended, crooked and twined upon them-

69

selves. In Mr. Peabody's house in Danvers, we cannot
believe we are in this century. It is a bit of colonial
England, and still transports us to the mother country.
Later, style was lost utterly for fifty years.

There is good iron work down Central street, and in
front of Dr. Gate's house. One fine fence remains by
the Osgood house in South Salem. Posts remain else-
where of beautiful design as at the Baldwin house. How
important these things are, and what efiect they have
upon the imagination, especially upon childhood, let us
measure by picture books. They are a liviug picture
book. Micklefield's Indian, and the imaofe over the Pick-
man house door, the wooden images on the Crowninshield
farm in Danvers, and the grotesque carving over the
engine house there, the carving on the upper common
gate, the pine apple with its bright imitative color, the
figures in the Derby-houses' grounds, and the carvings
on Macintire's w^orks, — slender in amount as they all
were, were to a Salem boy forty years ago what St.
Mary's Redcliffe was to Chatterton, they created him and
enriched his imagination. Hawthorne need not have
complained of Salem, nor James for him. Had he been
born in Lynn, Lowell, or some other fiercely new Ameri-
can town, he never would have been Hawthorne. Essex
county, out of the vortex, and from its old stock, history
and Avealth, has had more genius than any other county;
and Salem at this hour with this Institute, and in some
measure through it, has more the ripeness and tone of
the old Avorld, — maturity, ease, taste and comfort, and
leisure and repose, and what they bring, — than any other
town.

Boston now is getting filled with open air statues and
monumental work, which, to the boy, will inspire him with
historic suggestion and imaginative delight. Our hitherto
bare life of the last half century is getting artistical.

70

Coincident with this disappeanince of styles inside and
out, was a decay of manners as a fine art. We shall
have to study them anew. The younger sort have all
their own way, the older are not seen.

A pretty style of house and ground was the old end-
wise house. Of these there were charming examples,
Judge White's, Mr. Bancroft's, Dr. Prince's and many
others-. How sweet the grounds showed in front of them.
They were frank, and let the public into all the family en-
joyment and confidence. Many still remain, and they are
among the distinctive features of old towns.

The Porchks are among the sweetest bits we can see now,
where they have not been altered or replaced, when they
are sure to be ruined. Not one has been added in modern
times that is not crude and shapeless. You might as well
attempt to alter an old table or chair of the good periods,
and o^ive it another crook or desisfn than what it has. The
sense was lost, and we wandered in a sterile vacancy of
design, and of heaviness and enrichment without beauty,
])othasto house fronts and porches, window headings, fences,
roofs, doorways, and especially furniture, for fifty years.
Two old brick houses interest one. One entertained
Washington, (the late Mrs. Saunders remembered being
in the cotillion with him there), the house of Dr. Fiske.
Plere the o-round or base mouldinsf told an architect the
other day it was the same period as one of the earl}^ halls
at Harvard College. The old Derby brick house in Derby
street is more like a bit of old England than anything in
the town. Beverly has charming bits. The refinement
of the old manner, the educated ornament delights one
precisely as old furniture does. It has an elegance, a
chasteness, a sobriety, a salience and reserve, not being
overloaded, a variety withal, that hold one by a kind of
spell of interest and fascination. The horror of later
thinofs in wood had not arrived. We have been overrun

71

with the cheapest of quack styles, as the country generally
has. It Avould not do to specify them. Upper Essex
street, Federal street, Beverly, South Salem have much
to show. The good house of ]Mr. Cox built early in this
period and interregnum, Mr. Lee's, and one lately put
up at the corner of Norman street, are a protest and relief.
Certainly it is earnestly to be desired that we should do
better in wood than we have done. Meantime, in this
town, the old houses quiet the very feeling, and appeal
pathetically against the intervening time. The house of
Mr. W. H. Foster has charming steps in threes, and ex-
cellent old finishing touches, with extreme simplicity.
One might enumerate many a refined bit and shy old
house in Salem and Beverly. There is a noble one as you
go to the cove, in the latter town, of square shape, ample
dimensions and double porches, and where one is reconciled
to white paint, and beside it a dear old veteran that wants
to go into the ground, and has almost gone there, it is so
old, and they both are expressive, to a degree that shames
modern structure. They stand coquetting with each other
and are monuments of centuries, impressive as time itself,
and eloquent with character, and mass and sentiment.
Hawthorne might write a romance about them. They
are worth a whole modern town.

The Japanese, half- women in organization, have the
sensibilities of Eastern races to color, and the harmony.
Cashmere shawls, Chinese porcelain, illustrate this. An
island like England, of about the size and population, on
the edge of a great ocean, in the temperate zone, at the
same distance from the equator on the other half of the
globe, and bordering a continent; feudal too, with beau-
tiful nature, and the same love of gardening, there is the
same sensibility in their little art as in the English poets'.
Their delicate feminine hands have a perfect manipula-
tion.

72

Emerson sjiys, in his Humble Bee

"All was picture as he passed."

This is true of the Japanese. They get a subject out of
nothinof. In a collection of ivories at the Burlinoftou
Club, there seemed an epitome of human life : nature
feeling, art feeling, poetic feeling, the grotesque, gothic
creativeness, the sentiment of Dutch pictures, incident, —
a world in little, a Shakespearian range. We have only
to examine fans to see their sensibilities to the impression.
In my last talk with Mr. Hunt, I saw how much he was
drawn to Japanese, and in the beautiful Gloucester harbor
I think I see the influence of it. They have naturalistic
feeling as the Greeks had design. They have changed
ornamentation everywhere. A friend of mine, who has a
collection gathered on the principle of poetic motive, tells
me, he never takes a walk, but he sees grasses and w^eeds,
and a hundred aspects of nature, Japanese have taught him.
Whether this virginal island will now be destroyed for
naivete of motive and unspoilt feelings, remains to be
seen. The Greeks wdien they lost their great art were
conquered. The Japanese are springing on.

Since I was last here we have lost Mr. Very. A
genius, as rare as Hawthorne, suddenly stopped in his
early years. It is the quality of his work that transmits
a man. The only analogue I can find for Very is Fra
Angelico. No two men were ever purer-hearted, and so
consecrated. It made their genius. Fra Angelico is
worth whole ao-es afterward. Corot illustrates this. He
outweighs the whole American landscape. Gray is the
truest poet of the last century. How little he wrote !
Very may remind us of Blake too. Spontaneity is the
secret of genius. In Wendell Phillips' speeches, in Miss
Preston's translation of Mireio is this quality. It is as
easy as breathing. The old diction is very threadbare.

73

Emerson in avoiding it rushes into the other extreme. It
is an inspiration from temperament as Hunt's was. Fra
Angelico was very limited, but he was divine. This
golden thread of passion makes Parson's verse distinctive,
and gives him grace — a quality we have not had. Re-
ligious poetry is usually valueless as literature. The
didactic is not an inspiration in art. There are two or
three notes of earnest poetry in New England by women.
It is natural the genius of New England should take that
turn, and that it should be through women. After fifty
years who has grown? Shelley, because he lends you his
soul to see with, and his art was equal. As the soul writes
through Very, nature wrote tlirough Shelley. If it is the
west wind he writes about, the west wind writes it. If
Very describes the columbine, its slender grace and trem-
ulous nature are in the verse. He seems to me to be worth
bushels of American poetry. When I was entering the
bay and Dean Stanley was aboard, I pointed out Salem
to him and told him I would give him the volume, now
out of print, of his early poems ; so I did when I got back
to England. iNIr. Very himself gave me the book with
his name in it. Two days after we landed, Mr. Very
was present at the hall. I crowded into the gallery at
the last moment, and could see him on the floor of the
house. I noticed his very intellectual head. There was
no such head in the audience. So high and such fine
lines. His things must grow. He is a quiet genius but
miique, the least indebted, the most underived. Ameri-
can poetry is a dreary second-rate, it has struck out no
new note. But such poetry, the pure effluence of the
spirit, never can be popular, or even comprehended or
felt by the many. I think of Daniels' lines quoted by
Colerids^e :

"Unless, above himself, erect himself he can,
How poor a thing is man !"

74

Note. — Rev. Jones Very died at his residence on Federal Street,
Salem, on Saturday morning, May 8, 1880, after an illness of a fortnight.

He was the son of Capt. Jones and Lydia (Very) Very, and was
born in Salem, Aug. 28, 1813. In 1823 and 4, he accompanied his
father on the last two voyages of the latter to Europe. He graduated
at Harvard University in the class of 1836, with high honors, and was
a Greek tutor in that Institution in 1836-8.

The fjpllowing extracts from two letters may appropriately be in-
serted in this connection. One from Mr. Very to Mr. Conrad incident-
ally gives a clew to his own college habits. He writes : —

"He (Chisholm) was a member with Thomas Barnard West, of
Salem, and myself, of a small society for religious improvement,
which held meetings once a week, during most of my college course.
I remember these meetings with great satisfaction as hours well and
properly spent; and I doubt not that they were so remembered by all
who participated in them."

The other by one of his former pupils, received by the family on
the day of his burial, shows the estimation in which he was held as
an instructor, who writes : —

" You were my teacher of Greek in 1837-8, and your manner of
instructing-made a favorable impression on my mind, and produced a
leaning to that language which still lasts. You were unwearied in
drawing our attention to tenses and making us translate literally —
two important points in learning languages of which however Mr.
F * * * * * quite lost sight. The charm with which you surrounded
Greek vanished from Harvard with you. You felt the spirit of the
Greek people, and were ready to communicate it to such as had ears
to hear." * * *

He studied for the ministry and was approbated as a preacher in
1843, though never ordained over a society or settled as a pastor, he
had occasionally performed the clerical duties.

He had acquired distinction as a poet, especially as a v/riter of
sonnets and occasional pieces, some of which were contributed to the
papers and periodicals. In 1839 he published a volume of Essays and
Poems, which has been considered a book of great merit. Griswold,
in his Poets and Poetry of America, says, " His Essa^-s are fine
specimens of learned and sympathetic criticisms; and his sonnets and
other pieces of verse are chaste, simple and poetical." His deceased
brother, the Kev. Washington Very, and his sister, L. L. A. Very,
shared his poetical talent.

He was of a quiet, reflecting and sedate turn of mind, and, though
retiring, was very affable and companionable. He early gave himself
up to a religious enthusiasm, which so possessed him that he left
Cambridge and returned to Salem, where he had since lived in retire-

75

ment, writing sonnets when the mood seized him, but taking no part
in public life.

The family is traced back to Bridget Very,^ who came from England
with her two sons aud a daughter, and who was a member of the
First Church in Salem in 1648. She and her son Samuel ^ lived on the
north side of Cedar Pond, near the Danvers almshouse, where they
owned a large tract of land, and where her descendants resided for a
century or more. Many of them removed to Salem and became ship-
masters.

In the first volume of the Historical Collections of the Institute,
is an interesting account of a genealogical ramble by the subject of
this notice. lie says : " that it [the land] bore the name of the Very
lot. I was shown by an aged man, the cellar where the first house
stood. No house had been there since his recollection, but the stones
were still there overrun with blackberry vines. There too was the
well, covered now by a stone. A few old moss-covered apple trees
in the midst of a new growth of oaks and pines showed where, two
centuries ago, the strong hands and brave hearts of the early settlers
had cleared the land and made them a home."

Samuel Very,^ born in England about 1619, married Alice, dau. of
John Woodis, Woodhouse or Woodice, had :

Benjamin Very,^ married Jemima, dau. of Joseph Newhall, of
Lynn ; had :

Isaac Very,'^ born July 30, 1715; married Elizabeth Giles in 1736;
a corporal under Col. Ichabod Plaisted in 1756; died at Sandy Hook
in the army, 1778; had sons Isaac and Samuel.

Samuel Very,^ born in Salem, Dec. 10, 1755; married in 1776, Han-
nah Putney. She died Feb. 4, 1799. He was a master and owner of
a vessel, but kept a store many years in Salem at the corner of Essex
and Boston streets ; died in 1824, aged 69 ; had : Lydia, born June 14>
1792 ; married her cousin Jones Very, aud was the mother of the
subject of this notice.

Isaac Very,^ born in Salem 1745 ; married for his 3d wife, Rachel
Jones, of Charlton. He resided some years in Charlton and Spencer,
the latter part of his life in Salem; was master of a vessel and au
officer of the Customs, Salem. He died in 1831, aged 86; had :

Jones Very,^ born in Spencer, Mass., Nov. 17, 1790, and followed
the seas from early life. As a shipmaster he sailed in the employ of
the Hon. William Gray from 1817 to 1821 in the Brig Concord; from
1821 to September, 1824 in the barque Aurelia. He married Feb. 13,
1813, his cousin Lydia Very, above mentioned. He resided at the
corner of Essex and Boston streets, in Salem. He died Dec. 22, 1824.

[Ed.

Regular Meeting, Monday, June 21, 1880.

Meeting this evenino: at 8 o'clock. The President in
the chair. Records read. Donations and correspondence
announced.

The President referred to the sudden and unexpected
death of an associate member, Mr. Caleb Cooke, which
occurred at his residence in this city on Saturday evening,
June 5, 1880. His disease was typhoid fever, and it
terminated fatally after a confinement to the house of a
few days.

The President then alluded briefly to some incidents
in the life of Mr. Cooke, his interest in scientific pursuits,
his labors in the cause of science and general culture, and
his acts of benevolence so freely and cheerfully done.

Mr. Cooke was the son of William and Mary (Fogg)
Cooke, and was born in Salem, Feb'ry 5, 1836. His
father was a mariner and for several years was an ofiS^cer
on board of vessels engaged in the West African trade,
and died in California when the son was in his boyhood.
He was educated in our public schools and commenced his
active life, a clerk in the bookstore of the late Henry
Whipple.

Continuing in that situation for a short time, he retired,
and after spending about one year with Mr. George F.
Read, in the study of the languages, especially the Latin,
he devoted himself principally to the pursuit of Natural'
History which had long been his desire and inclination.

He was elected a resident member of the Essex Insti-
tute May 11, 1853, and was connected with that Institution
until his decease, and for more than twenty-one years of
this time he held some official position or a membership

(76)

77

on some important committee. For several years he was
a pupil of Agassiz, and under his tuition pursued his
studies with a class of 3'oung men who have since dis-
tinguished themselves in zoological and geological science.
In 1859 he went to Para, South America, and sub-
sequently to Zanzibar and Madagascar ; on the latter
voyage, sailing in the barque Persia, from Salem, Nov. 5,
1860 and remaining for several years on the eastern coast
of Africa, collecting specimens for the Museum of Com-
parative Zoology, Caml)ridge. He was compelled to leave
this field of his labors on account of sickness from the
African fever, but almost recovered his health during his
passage home. AYhile he was absent, Prof. Agassiz and
Senator Sumner procured him the appointment of U. S.
Consul at ^lozambique, but the Commission passed him
in transit and he never acted under it, although his name
was borne upon the rolls for several years.

From the organization of the Peabody Academy of
Science in 1867, until his death, he was an assistant, and
one of the Curators of the Museum under its charge.

He Avas a member of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science and also of the Boston Society
of Natural History.

In 1875 he assisted Dr. G. M. Levette, of the State
Geological Survey of Indiana, in a hydrographic survey
of a dozen or more of the lakes in the northern part
of that State, where his experience in the collecting and
preservation of specimens of natural history, and in
seinino" and dredo^ins^, was of great value.

He also became greatly interested in the work of the
Salem Fraternity, organized in the spring of 1869, and
was active in the establishment of its library and reading
room, becoming chairman of the committees of those de-
partments, and devoting himself constantly and earnestly
to the welfore of that institution. He possessed many

admirable traits of character. No one was more ready
to communicate information, or take more pains to confer
a favor than he. He was a useful man in the line of his

specialties.

Rev. E. B. AViLLSON spoke in the highest terms of
^Ir. Cooke's labors in behalf of the Institute and of the
Fraternity, and also of his many marked personal charac-
teristics; frank, hating cant, impatient of conventionali-
ties, sunny tempered by nature, but quick and of variable
moods, he scorned word}^ goodness, and called for deeds
before his confidence was to be had. His valuable services
in the management of the Salem Fraternity were particu-
larly alluded to by Mr. Willson. Almost from the begin-
ning his hand was in it, and as the zeal of others slackened,
he only gave to it his more constant care. Every day
he devoted hours to it, especially during the week-day
evenings ; these were the leisure hours from other pursuits
which were his main business. His heart was in the
work. Something new to be tried was always seething in
his brain ; more library room ; more books ; more periodi-
cals, papers and pictures ; another room for women, more
workers on committees ; more work for the workers ; but
he went first himself, and staid last. On the steady band
of workers that has carried on the Salem Fraternity for
these eleven 3^ears, his death falls like a momentary faint-
ness which darkens the eyes to the wa}^ before them.

Mr. tloHN Robinson spoke of the long personal friend-
ship which had existed between Mr. Cooke and himself,
and particularly dwelt upon his pleasant and kindly ways,
always seeking to do a favor ])efore it could be asked of
him. He spoke of his fondness for children, and the ease
with which he made them familiar with him, and related
an incident which occurred only one week before Mr.
Cooke's death.

79

It was customary every year for them to go to a certain
choice locality where the Arethusa was particularly abun-
dant, to collect the flowers and astonish their friends with
a profusion of the blossoms of this beautiful and usually
scarce plant. The trip was generally made on foot, but
as the distance was nearly ten miles and it was desired to
return before noon of the day selected, a carryall was
obtained, an early start made, and two little girls taken
to till the spare seats. The flowers were found in great
abundance juid in a few hours the party were on their way
home, Mr. Cooke and both little girls on the front seat.
All the way the children were particularly merry, and
Mr. Cooke merrier if possible than they. All sung,
laughed, and drove by turns, and when nearly in town,
it became necessary to quiet the fun lest it should too
much surprise the sober passers-by. Mr. Cooke never
was happier, and had not for two months seemed so
well. The same Arethusas were not all faded the day he
was laid in his grave.

Mr. Robinson spoke of the public loss caused l)y Mr.
Cooke's death, and said that his long familiarity with the
specimens and customs at the Museum of the Academy,
would render it impossible to fill his place as he left it.
But beyond this, Mr. Robinson said he felt the personal
loss to be greater, for Mr. Cooke was one upon Avliom he
always felt able to call at an}^ and all times for favors or
assistance of any sort, with the assurance of an immediate
and cheerful response.

Dr. George A. Perkins said, that his personal recol-
lections of Mr. Cooke were of the pleasantest kind, his
eminent fitness for the position he was called to fill had
often impressed itself upon him, and it would be safe to
say that no specimen or specimens, in any of the col lee-

80

tions of our scientific societies, escaped his memoiy or
care, and all could be produced by him at a moment's
notice. His uniform good nature under trying circum-
stances, and the pleasure he appeared to take in furnishing
any desired information, made it exceedingly pleasant, to
recall the memory of the visits, the speaker had made to
the rooms of the Peabody Academy of Science, during the
period of his official connection with that institution.

Mr. T. F. Hunt also made appropriate remarks regard-
ing Mr. Cooke, his life and work, and on his motion

Voted, That the President, Rev. E. B. Willson, and
Mr. John Robinson be appointed a Committee to prepare
suitable resolutions on the death of Mr. Cooke — the same
to be entered upon the Records of the Institute, and a
copy to be sent to the family of the deceased.

The following Preamble and Resolution were reported
by the committee, and recorded in conformity to the above
vote :

Whereas, The recent sudden decease of an associate
member, Mr. Caleb Cooke, who had been interested in
scientific studies from his early youth, and an active
member of the Institute since May, 1853, and for more
than twenty-one years holding some official position or a
membership on some important committee, requires from
the Institute a grateful acknowledgment of his valuable
services so cheerfully and freely given, at all times, in the
promotion of the objects of its organization.

Ilesolved, That the Essex Institute desires to place
upon record this testimonial of respect to the memory of
its late associate, whose ardent zeal and indefatigable
labors in scientific research, and especially in various acts
of benevolence and general culture in this community, have
secured the esteem and respect of all, and will cause his
name to be long remembered in this, his native city.

BULLETlxN

VoL. 12. Salem, July, Aug., Sept., 1880. Xos. 7, 8, 9.

Notes ox the Flora of Essex County, Massachu-
setts, WITH sketches of THE EARLY BOTANISTS,
AND A LIST OF THE PUBLICATIONS ON THESE SUB-
JECTS.

BY JOHN ROBIXSOX.

Essex County offers to the botjinist a field attractive and
interesting in many ways. The open country, deep woods,
and numerous swamps contain the usual number of species
found in such localities, while a large river, the Merrimac,
furnishes a valley in which grow many plants not else-
where found in the county. There are upwards of fifty
ponds, from four to four hundred acres in extent, rich in
water plants and subaquatics. Though there is no con-
sideral)le hill or mountainous district, it is sufficiently far
north to have several representatives of higher latitudes
and even a few alpine and sub-alpine species in the flora.

Along the seashore is found an abundance of plants
peculiar to the region of salt-water marshes and beaches,
while in the ocean and inlets grow about one hundred and

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. XII 6 (81)

5W./£./

??7

82

fifty species of alg^e. These last named collecting grounds
offer an opportunity to study, from fresh specimens, classes
of plants froQi which the inland botanist is almost wholly
debarred.

. The land plants of the county belong decidedly to the
northern flora although not so arctic in their character as
the lichens and algae. There is an almost total absence
of many species common from Cape Cod southward and
often found just south of Boston. In contrast to this
the Magnolia glauca is still quite abundant at Glou-
cester, but not found again north of New Jersey. At
Cape Ann is the southern limit of the little Sagina no-
dosa, and there also is found Potentilla tridentata, f\imiliar
at the Isle of Shoals and on Mt. Washington. Essex
County seems also to be the southern limit, for this
region, of Pinus resinosa (Red Pine), Abies nigra (Black
Spruce), Vaccinium Vitis-Idsea, Viola rotundifolia, etc.,
as it is the northern limit of Cupressus thyoides (White
Cedar), Qnereus prinoides (Chinquapin Oak), Polygonum
Caryi, Draba Caroliniana, Lygodium palmatum (Climbing
Fern), and others. At Boxford is what has proved thus
far to be the only New England station for Salix Candida,
and another bog willow, Salix my rtilloides, is occasionally
met wdth. At Andover a locality for Calamagrostis Pick-
eringii was discovered in the summer of 1879 ; this species
has only been known before at the White Mountains.
Among the sedges and grasses, plants too frequently neg-
lected will be found, many not heretofore supposed to grow
in the county, and a careful comparison of this list with
our botanies will show that the range of many species has
been extended. Although much careful work has been
done there yet remains much to be accomplished ; for, be-
sides the few species that may be added to the list of
flowering plants, there are many species of lichens and

83

mosses not thus far collected, and the fungi and fresh-
water algo3 are purposely omitted altogether. The phan-
erogams and vascular cryptogams are quite fully studied,
and to the Characere and marine algoe but comparatively
few additions may be expected.

The early settlement of the county renders this a par-
ticularh' favoral)le region for the observation of introduced
plants. From the earliest settlement to the present time,
foreign species have continued to arrive, many of which,
like the early colonists, came with the evident intention
of remaining ; for, as the genista, barberry, white-weed
and buttercups show, they flourish here and increase to
an extent which it would be difficult for them to exceed
elsewhere. The study of these introduced plants might
be called historical i)otany and should not be confounded
with the study of the natural distribution and changes of
plants. The early colonists came to establish a home :
they did not come for gold, diamonds, or lead even, and in
coming severed old home-ties and connections. That
the fruit and other vegetable productions of the new land
were amomj the first thinsrs to which attention was oiven,
the records of early writers amply testify. Vie are apt
to consider the men of two hundred and fifty years ago
as a stern compau}- ; yet, besides the fruits and phmts
which might possess economic or medicinal value, this
latter use being ever uppermost in the minds of botanical
explorers of that da}', they did not overlook the curious
or the beautiful.

The earlier accounts tell of the gardens that were al-
most immediately established upon the settlement of the
country, and invoices of the articles to be sent to the col-
onists from the managers in Europe contain such things
as the seeds of grains, stone fruits, quince, apple, pear,
woadsvax, barberry, etc. Besides these, living plants

84

must have been sent out from Europe, as is shown by the
record of " Our Ancient Pear Trees " (Robert Manning
in Proc. Am. Pom. Soc, 1875).

Some of these phxnts purposely introduced have failed
to prove of use, or their time of usefulness has gone by,
and they have been sufiered to run wild, and at the same
time a hundred others have like "stowaways" come unin-
vited. They have been introduced among the seeds of
useful plants, in packing material, and as garden flowers.
ISIany of the introduced species still remain restricted to
certain localities, and others, although more widely dis-
seminated, are in such situations as to make their origin
self-evident, while others are so distributed as to appear to
all intents and purposes as natives. Again, by the clear-
ing of the forests, the general cultivation and changes in
the condition of the soil, many native plants best able to
endure the changes, or those to which the changes have
proved beneficial, have been given positions of undue
prominence in the flora; while other species, which at the
time of the settlement of the country were much more
abundant, have now become less numerous, or have entirely
disappeared. It is a matter of considerable difficulty to
picture to ourselves the country as it appeared two hun-
dred and fifty years ago. It is probable that extensive
forests reached to the ocean shore and, excepting the river
marshes and clearings made l)y the fires of the aborigines,
occupied the whole territory. The Indians cultivated
corn, pumpkins, beans, tobacco and a few other plants.
It is possible that some species of foreign plants had been
introduced previous to the settlement by the whites
through trade or by adventures, but this is uncertain.
The study of the introduced plants is aided by the work
of ^Ir, John Josselyn (New England Rarities Discovered) ,
a reprint of which, with valuable notes by Professor Ed-

85

ward Tiickerman, is now available. Josselyu visited
New England several times ; when on the longest sojourn,
1663-1671, he landed at Boston and soon went to Black
Point, Scarborough, Maine, where most of his obser-
vations were made. Josselyn was an excellent observer
and although his writings are filled with the usual strange
stories current in old works upon new and unexplored'
countries, they contain the first accounts of any conse-
quence regarding the New England flora. This author did
not, perhaps, m*ake many observations in Essex County,
yet his work contains but few species that do not grow
here and its chief value consists in its arrangement and
separation of the plants indijijenous from the introduced
weeds, thus giving what then appeared to be the plants
which came with man or, as he called them, "Such plants as
have sprung up since the English planted and kept cattle
in New England." This, with the occasional observations
by other writers, gives us a fair idea of what plants had
established themselves here rather more than two hundred
years ago. According to Professor Tuckerman, the next
date by which the student may fix the introduction of
foreign species is 1783, when the list of plants observed
by Rev. Manasseh Cutler, of Ipswich, was published
(Mem. Am. Acad. Vol. I). Since that date observations
are more frequent and the more recently introduced
species can be traced quite accurately. It is also quite
probable that plants which at one time were quite common
weeds have disappeared altogether. Dr. Cutler mentions
the Amarantus known by the common name of " Prince's
Feather" or "Love-lies-bleeding," as "amongst rubbish,"
but to the writer's knowledge it is never met with
excepting in old-fashioned gardens. The Hyoscyamus
niger and Artemisia Absinthium (Wormwood), spoken of
by Dr. Cutler and other earlier writers as common in waste

86

places, are now very rare or unknown. The last mention
of Nicotina rustiea is by Dr. Osgood in 1853, but it is
doubtful if he observed it as late as that ; his observations
were very probaljly made in previous years, and no one has
since noticed it. The introduction of new manufiictures
is likely to bring with it plants which may be persistent
enough in the region where they are introduced but un-
known elscAvhere. Such is the case at "Tapleyville,"
Danvers, where, in the vicinity of a carpet factory estab-
lished forty years ago, are to be found several species of
foreign plants unknown in any other town of the county,
and perhaps not elsewhere established.

Two or three plants observed along the shore of the
Merrimac river suggest a close connection with the mills
at Lowell and Lawrence, one of them being a southern
sedge. Many plants are emigrating eastward from our
western states, travelling as it were by rail. The Bud-
beckia hirta, now quite common in fields hereabouts, ac-
cording to Dr. Pickering, did not reach Philadelphia
until 1826, and this vicinity until perhaps 1855.

The latest arrival noticed (1878) is that of Eleusine
Indica, a weedy, oriental grass which is common at New
York city and Philadelphia. It has made its appearance
along the railroad tracks at the Pennsylvania Pier,
Salem, having travelled thence by the P. and R. R.
R. Go's steamers, which regularly bring coal from Phila-
delphia. This last comes under the head of "ballast
plants," a very full account of which may be found in the
Torrey Bulletin for November, 1879.

SKETCH OF SOME OF THE EARLY BOTANISTS.*

The study of botany in Essex County, we may in fact
say New England, dates from the time of Dr. Manasseh
Cutler at the close of the last century. Previously the
plants had only been noticed by writers upon more gen-
eral subjects of natural histor}^ or casually mentioned in
letters written from this country to England, But from
Cutler's time there has been a steady succession of bot-
anists, chiefly amateurs, who have kept alive an interest in
the subject, even at times making it the prominent topic
considered at the literary and scientific societies and clubs
of the region. It will onh^ be attempted here to give a
brief sketch of the older botanists who have contributed
most to the knowledge of the subject in the county.

Francis Hiororjnson, in a letter written from Salem in
1629-30 (Mass. Hist. Coll., I, 121), speaks of the plants
which he had noticed growing in the vicinity, and men-
tions several species which probably now exist in the same
localities as observed by him at that early date ; one, the
Ruhus odoratus (Flowering Raspberry or Mulberry) still
flourishes in the "Great Pastures," and the OsmorrJiiza
longistylis (Chervil or Sweet Cicely) has been noticed
until ver}^ recently at "Paradise," near Salem.

William Wood, in the New England Prospect, speaks
extendedl}' of the early gardens and the numerous useful
plants native to the country, mentioning what he saw at
Ipswich, Salem, Marblehead, etc. ; Parkinson and Jerard

* The writer is indebted to Dr. Henry Wheatland for his assistance in obtaining
notices of the early botanists of the county, chiefly from the Proceedings and
Historical Collections of the Essex Institute, from which a large portion of this
sketch is made.

(87)

88

enumerate New Englaiul plants ; John Josselyn, pre-
viously referred to, gives an account of the native and
introduced species ; and other early writers, including
John Winthrop, speak of the excellent quality of the
native fruits and the beauty of the flowers, particularly
dwelling on the superiority and abundance of the wild
strawberries.

None of these can, however, be spoken of or claimed
as Essex County botanists, and it is not until after the
close of the American Revolution that Ave find any serious
or scientific study of the plants of the county.

Dr. Manasseh Cutler was born at Killingly, Connecti-
cut, May 3, 1742, graduated at Yale College in 1765,
afterward studied law, and was admitted to the bar in
1767. He soon studied for the ministry and was settled
at the Hamlet Parish in Ipswich, which was set apart from
that town and named Hamilton for Alexander Hamilton
whom Dr. Cutler greatly admired. He served as a chap-
lain during the war of the revolution and on his return
studied medicine which he afterwards practised among his
parishioners. The efforts of Dr. Cutler secured the pas-
sage, in 1787, of the famous ordinance by which freedom
was declared in the northwestern territories and he soon
after organized the first band of pioneers that emigrated
from the east to Ohio. The next year he followed
them driving himself the entire distance in a sulky, being
accompanied by a few friends. Upon his return from
the west, or in 1800, he was chosen to represent old Essex
in Cono^ress where he served two terms. While in Phil-
adelphia in 1787, he visited at the house of Benjamin
Franklin, and afterward wrote an account of the great
statesman which was considered as one of the best, being
copied by Sparks in his life of Franklin. Dr. Cutler
prepared, in 1783, "An account of some of the vegetable

89

productions, iiatunilly growing in this part of America,
botanically arranged," which was published in the first
volume of the Memoirs of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences in 1785. He here described some
three hundred and fifty species of flowering plants sug-
gesting several points which have been followed by later
botanists. It was Dr. Cutler's intention to extend this
work, and there are in existence several manuscript vol-
imies which he prepared toward this end. These valua-
ble manuscripts are in the possession of Prof. Edward
Tuckerman, who intends that their final destination shall
be the library of Harvard ; and it is to be hoped that they
may at some future day l)e printed, with such notes as
would be required to make them of use to the present
generation of botanical students. Dr. Cutler's death oc-
curred in 1823, after more than fifty years' service in one
parish. He has been called the father of American botany,
a term certainly appropriate for the times and for this
res'ion, where his mantle fell on the shoulders of Os2:ood,
Nichols, Oakes, and Pickering.

Dr. George Osgood, son of George and Elizabeth
(Otis) Osgood, was born at Fair Haven, March 25, 1784.
He studied medicine with his father and settled in Dan-
vers in 1804, where he had for many years an extensive
practice. Dr. Osgood acquired, by his association with
Cutler, Nichols and Oakes, a taste for and knowledge of
botany which lasted him through life. He contributed to
Dr. Bis^elow much valuable information while the latter
was preparing his "Florula Bostoniensis," and in 1853
published in the Salem Observer a local list of flowering
plants. He died May 26, 18G3.

Dr. Andrew Nichols was born in the rural part of Dan-
vers, Nov. 22, 1785. He was the son of Andrew and
Eunice (Nichols) Nichols, and studied medicine under

90

Dr. Waterhouse, settling in that part of Danvers, now
Peabody, in 1808, where he practised successfully, remain-
ing there until his death, jNIarch 31, 1853.

He was particularly interested in the local natural his-
tory of this region, and in 1816 delivered a series of
lectures on botany, the first of such in this part of the
country. Dr. Nichols was one of the founders of the
Essex County Natural History Society and its president,
retaining- unabated till death his interest in his favorite
study.

William Oakcs must bo acknowlc-do^ed as the most
eminent botanist of Essex County birth. He was the
son of Caleb Oakes and was born at Danvers, July 1,
1799. He was educated at Harvard receiving the degree
of A. B. in 1820. He earl}^ developed a taste for natural
history relinquishii]g the practice of law, his chosen pro-
fession, to study this branch of science.

Mr. Oakes' work was chiefly in New England, collecting
extensively in Essex County, Mass., Vermont, the White
Mountain region, and southeastern arid w^estern ^lassa-
chusetts. He prepared the list of plants of Vermont for
Thompson's history of that state ; and his work at the
White Mountains was so thorough that recent collectors,
with all the advantages of improved roads and easy access
to every portion of that region, have failed to add but few
to the number of species which he discovered there. It was
his intention to have published a flora of New England,
but was deterred by the appearance of Beck's Botany.
He afterwards became deeply interested in a work, with
illustrations by Sprague, upon White Mountain scenery,
which was published in 1848 ; but not until after his death
which occurred July 31, 1848, the preface of the work
having been written July 26, only five days previous.

Mr. Oakes was impulsive and generous ; thoroughly in

91

earnest in his favorite study, he seriously impaired his
fortune to carry ont his schemes more perfectly. Like
many other men of note, he was hardly appreciated while
living, but no monnment which could have been erected
would have made his luemory more cherished or his worth
more appreciated by the present generation of botanists
than that which he left behind, — an extensive collection
of most beautifully prepared botanical specimens, with an
identification absolutely correct, besides many valuable
notes and observations. Prof. Tuckerman dedicated to
him a pretty little pUuit common in the region of Plymouth,
but it afterwards had to be transferred to another genus ;
and now for the first time in any flora, it becomes a pleasant
duty to give by its name, "Oakesia," the little bellwort, a
common Essex County plant, which Prof. Watson of
Cambridge has found necessary to separate from the
jrenus to which it has heretofore been referred in his re-
vision of the family Liliacete, and has feelingly dedicated
to the memory of William Oakes.

Dr. Charles Pickering, son of Timothy and Lurena
(Cole) Pickering and grandson of Col. Timothy Pickering
of revolutionary fame, was born at Starucca Creek on the
Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, in 1805. He was educated
at Harvard in the class of 1823, graduating at the medical
school in 1826. In 1838 he was appointed naturalitst to
the U. S. (Wilkes) Exploring Expedition; and to perfect
his knowledge of animals and plants in foreign parts, he
made very extensive journeys after his return from that
expedition. He was the author of several works of great
value which in their preparation required much untiring
research; among them are "Geographical distribution of
Animals and Plants" and "Chronological History of
Plants," the latter work occupying the last sixteen years
of his life in its preparation.

92

During his college life Dr. Pickering spent mucli of his
time at AYeuham, at the homestead of his grandfather,
Col. Pickering, and here he wns in the hal)it of botanizing
in company with William Oakes, a favorite locality being
the " Great Swamp." It is l)ut right that Essex County
should claim a share of the honor of his name, for it was
here tliat his attention was drawn to botany, and in the
Chronological History of Plants, page 1063, we find the
following entry " 1824 * * In this year, after an excur-
sion in 1823, wdth William Oakes diverting my attention
from entomology, my first botanical discovery." Dr.
Pickering died at Boston, March 17, 1878. The writer
will always remember with pleasure and gratitude the
many hours spent with Dr. Pickering during 1876 and
'77, while he patiently sought out, among his early
manuscript notes and his letters from William Oakes, the
species and stations noticed while botanizing in Essex
County more than fift}^ 3'ears before.

Rev. John Levris Eussell, son of John and Eunice (Hunt)
Russell, was born at Salem, Dec. 2, 1808. He was at
Harvard in the class of 1828, and graduated at the divinitj^
school in 1831. After occupying pulpits in Chelmsford,
Hingham, Brattieboro, Kennebunk and various other
places, he returned in 1853 to Salem, where he resided,
preaching occasionalh', until his death June 7, 1873.

Mr. Russell was particularly devoted to cryptogamic
botany, publishing accounts of his investigations from
time to time as he proceeded, besides many popular arti-
cles on various families of plants. He lectured frequently
on botany and was for many 3^ears vice-president of the
Essex Institute.

i\Ir. Russell contributed much to the general knowledge
of botany in Essex County, but his most extensive collec-
tions were made in other places.

93

The only attempt at an enumeration of county plants,
as such, is that of Mr. Cyrus M. Tracy, of Lynn. It
was intended to give a list of the flowering plants found
in that region and contained 546 species. Besides pos-
sessing a very huppy gii't as a botanical lecturer, Mr. Tracy
has contributed several valuable articles upon local botany
to the publications of the Essex Institute and elsewhere.

I\Ir. Geo. D. Phippen, of Salem, whose notes on the
native plants have materially aided the writer, has often
presented the subject of botany at meetings of the In-
stitute, and has written several articles of interest upon
the subjects which have been published in various
places. Mrs. C. N. S. Horner, of Georgetown, a most
excellent botanical collector, published a list of the plants
of that region in the Georgetown Advocate in 1876. Mr.
Calvin Pool, of Rockport, prepared a somewhat smaller
list of plants of Cape Ann, which was published in
"Pigeon Cove and vicinity " in 1873. Mr. S. B. Buttrick,
of Salem, whose years do not diminish his interest in
botany, and who is ever on the alert to find some rare
flower, has contri])uted several lists of plants to the
earlier numbers of the Proceedings and Bulletin of the
Essex Institute, as also have Dr. G. A. Perkins, of
Salem, chairman of the botanical section of the Peabody
Academy of Science, Mr. George F. H. Markoe, for-
merly of Salem, now^ of Boston, Rev. Ariel P. Chute,
formerly of Lynnfield, and many others. Dr. Henry
Wheatland, although not claiming to be a botanist, has
often aided those who did, bv his assistance in revisins:
their articles fn- the publications of the Institute while act-
ing as the editor. ]\lr. S. P. Fowler, of Danvers, one of
the older botanists and a companion of Oakes and Osirood,
in many rambles, has made frequent observations regarding
the trees and shrubs, and has cultivated extensively many

.94

of our native plants. Of those who have contributed to
swell the list of known county species of plants and who
have not published any writings on the subject, it will be
impossible to speak separately. They must be content to
feel that they have aided the cause of ])otanical knowledge as
they certainly have, and are deserving their share of credit
for so doing. There are many who have collected and
prepared specimens which will always serve as pleasant
reminders of their work. Among such are Mr. B. D.
Greene, who added several plants to the flora from near
Tewksbury ; Mr. AVra. P. Richardson and Mr. S. Bass,
who botanized near Salem ; and more recently Mrs. Alex.
Bray, i\Irs. Charles Grover, Mrs. J. Babson and Mrs.
Davis, who have added many species to the list of Cape
Ann Algse; Mr. Frank Lufkin of Pigeon Cove, who has
noticed many plants new to that region ; lsh\ John H.
Sears, of Danvers, Avhose specialty, the forest trees, has
been the means of brino-inof to2:cther at the Museum of the
Peabody Academy of Science one of the best local collec-
tions of native woods in any museum ; Mr. W. P. Conant,
who has added many species of Cyperaceae and Graminete
and a rare Botrychium to the flora ; besides many others
whose names Avill appear in the list associated with the
plant which they have been fortunate to discover.

To those whose assistance either by their writings, by
specimens contributed, or Nvho have rendered any assist-
ance b}" information or other attention, the writer desires
to express his warmest thanks. It would be impossible for
him to specify those who have aided him or their manner
of so doing, and he can only thank all collectively which
he does most sincerely.

Publications in which notices of interest relating to the Bota-
nists or the Plants of the County may be found.

Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. I.
Boston, 1785. Cutler's List of Plants.

BiGELOW's Florula Bostoniensis, 1st, 2nd and 3d editions.

Catalogue of Animals and Plants of Massachusetts in Hitch-
cock's Keport on the Geology, etc., of Massachusetts, 1833.

Gray's INIanual, 1st, 4th and 5tli editions.

Gray's Flora of North America. Part I.

Essex Institute Proceedings, Bulletin, and Historical Collec-
tions.

American Naturalist, Botanical department.

Emerson's Trees and Siirurs of Massachusetts.

Tuckerman's Josselyn's New England's Rarities Discovered.

Transactions of Am. Antiq. Society, Vol. IV.

Tracy's Flora of Lynn, etc.

Pickering's Chronological History of Plants.

"Watson's Revision of the Liliaceje in Proc. Am. Acad. Arts and
Sciences. Vol. XIV.

Watson's Bibliographical Index to N. A. Botany.

DeCandolle's Prodromus (occasional reference to Oakes).

Eaton's Ferns of North America.

(95)

96
Harvey's Nereis Boreali-Americana.

Farlow's List of Marine AlG/E of U. S. in Rept. Fish Com.,
1875, and Proc. Am. Acad, of Arts and Sciences. Vol. X.

Flint's Grasses and Forage Plants.

Transactions of the Mass. IIort. Soc.

History of the Mass. Hort. Soc.

Oakes' Catalogue of Vermont Plants in Thompson's History
of Vermont. Pages 173-208.

Halsted's CriARACE.E in Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. Vol. XX.

List of the Plants of Georgetown and Vicinity, by Mrs.
Horner, in Georgetown Advocate, 1876.

List of Plants near Danvers, by Dr. Geo. Osgood, in Salem
Observer, 1853.

Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture (various articles by Oakes
and Russell).

List of Plants of Pigeon Cove, by Calvin Pool, in "Pigeon Cove
and Vicinity."

These notes are introductory to an Enumera-
tion of the Plants of Essex County that has been
prepared, after a careful examination of the work
of the earlier botanists and diligent search in
almost every portion of the county for species
not previously noticed, and will appear in a
separate issue, as an occasional publication of the
Institute.

IVith so few persons devoting themselves to
the study of botauy or the collection of speci-

97

mens, particularly of the lower orders of plants,
it would be impossible to present an absolutely
complete list, and perhaps with even the greatest
facilities no one has succeeded in so doing for
any region.

Almost the only extended collection of dried
specimens of county plants were those of the
late Mr. Oakes, so that there really exists no
very great foundation upon which to build, other
than the herbarium recently collected, and the
writings of the more reliable among the earlier
botanists, who for nearly a century have now
and then appeared upon the scene.

Of the plants enumerated, almost all are rep-
resented in the herbarium of the Peabody Acad-
emy of Science at Salem, and where the species
has not been collected and its occurrence is only
known by the testimony of some writer, it is so
stated in the list.

Several errors have been detected in early
local lists and corrected, and such notes added
to the paper as seem of interest locally or
otherwise.

The writer would express his indebtedness to
Prof. Asa Gray, Prof. G. L. Goodale and Prof.
Sereno AVatson, for their numerous kindnesses
and assistance rendered him during the past five
years while preparing this flora, and also to
Messrs. Edwin and Charles E. Faxon for their
kindness in revising the final proofs.

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XII. 7

98

Field Meeting at the Willows, Salem Neck,
Tuesday, June 22, 1880.

The two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the arrival
of John AVinthrop, at Salem, with the charter and records
of the Massachusetts Bay Company, occurring on June 22,
1880, it was deemed meet and appropriate that the first
field meeting of the season should be held on that day,
at the Pavilion on Salem Neck, from which is obtained
an extensive view of the l^ay, and of the shore along
which the fleet sailed ere the anchors were dropped in
the waters of New England ; and that the exercises
of the occasion, instead of a discussion on subjects of
general scientific and historical interest, should be devoted
to a recital of incidents connected with tliis important
event, or such other topics as the time and place might
suggest.

A description of the appearance of Salem harbor, at
this early period in our history, may be gleaned from the
following extracts from the diary of Rev. Francis Higgin-
son, who, under date of "Fryday, June 26, 1629," writes :
"The sea was abundantly stored with rockweed and yel-
low flowers like gillyflowers. By noon we were within
3 leagues of Capan, and as we sayled along the coast
we saw every hill and dale, and every island full of gay
woods and hisfh trees. The nearer we came to the shoare
the more flowers in abundance, somet^^mes scattered
abroad, sometymes joyned in sheets 9 or 10 yards long,
which w^e supposed to be brought from the low meadows
by the tyde. Now what with fine woods and greene
trees by land, and their yellow flowers paynting the sea,
made us all desirous to see our new paradise of New
EnoLuid, whence we saw such forerunning signals of fer-

99

tilitie afarre ofF."^ On Mondaj^ June 29, 1629, he writes :
"we passed the curious and difficult entrance into the
Lirge and spacious harbour of Naimkecke, and as we
passed along it was wonderful to ])ehould so many islands
replenished with thicke wood and high trees and many
fa}' re green pastures."^

Tlie appearance of this shore, so pleasantly described
by Mr. Higginson, has undergone great changes since his
day, and more especially during the past thirty or forty
years. It is now included within the limits of Beverly,
INIanchester, and Gloucester, and is a much frequented and
very delightful sununer resort, many of the wealthiest
and most prominent families of the country, including
merchants, bankers, artists, professional men and persons
of leisure from the great cities, making this their summer
home.

The fragrant pine woods, the oaks, the birches, and the
green tields come down even to the beaches, to the rocks,
and to the seaweed, and mingle the freshness of the coiui-
try with the ocean breezes. The elegant villas, with their
quaint architecture, dot the coast, and enliven the dark
green of the woods with their red roofs. Every secluded
cove has its favorite ^^aclit ; the beaches are hard and
smooth, and the shouts and laughter of the bathers mingle
harmoniously with the rote of the surf, and the hoary
cliifs of primitive rock extend into the sea, scarred,
wrinkled and worn.

The belt of woods extending parallel to the coast, diver-
sitied with ponds, rivulets, rocky hills and meadows, the

1 Mr. Higiiinson an-ived near midsummer; at this period of the year, great num-
bers of jelly-fishes (the Cyanea arctica, Aurelia flavidula. and other species) are
observed on the surface of tlie water near the coast. Possibly specimens of the^e
an'm;ils, some having the resemblance of flowers, may have attracted the notice
of the voyager, and have thus been mentioned in his journal.

2 .See Ilutchiut-on's Collection of Papers, pages 41 and il.

100

habitat of many rare floral gems (of which may be spec-
ified the Magnolia glauca, a representative of a more
southern flora, and the Linnea boreaUs, that of the alpine) ,
afibrds many picturesque views and delightful rural by-
paths and lanes, adding much to the attractions of this
pleasant summer retreat.

The Pavilion is located on or near the six acres of land
granted by the town of Salem, to Kev. John Higginson
in 1661. This land he conveyed by deed (Eeg. Deeds,
Essex, vol. iii, fol. 396), 25, 9, 1670, to Thomas Savage,
who on August 6, 1675, transferred the same by deed of
gift to his daughter Sarah and her husband, John Higgin-
son, jr., with lands adjoining which he had purchased of
other parties, in all about twenty-eight acres (Reg.
Deeds, Essex, vol. iv, fol. 383).

A gTandson of John Higginson, jr., the fourth John
Higginson^ in succession (the four were living at the
period from the birth of the youngest Jan. 10, 1697-8,
to the death of the eldest in Dec. 9, 1708) conveyed
this estate April 8, 1730, to Benj. Ives* (see Reg. Deeds,
Essex, vol. Iv, fol. 92).

3 Rev. John Higginson, born at Claybrook, Aug. 6. 1616, came with his father to
Salem in 1629, and in 16-11 assisted Rev. Henry Whitfiehl (whose daughter Sarah
he married) in the ministry at Guilford, Conn. He returned to Salem in 1659 and
was ordained as pastor of the church, which his father had founded some thirty
years before, and continued the respected minister until his death Dec. 9, 1708.

II John born at Guilford, 1646, a merchant, settled in Salem ; Lieut. Col. of the
regiment, a member ol the Governor's council, etc., died March 23, 1719.

III John born Aug. 20, 1675, educated a merchant, lived in Salem, died April 20,
1718.

IV^ John born Jan. 10, 1697-8, graduated at Harvard College, 1717; sustained chief
offices of the town. County Register, etc.; died July 15, 1744.

For a sketch of this family see Hist. Coll. Essex Inst., vol. V, p. 33.

■* Benjamin Ives was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (MetcalO Ives, and was
baptized at the First Church, Aug. 9, 1702. He md. Anna, dau. of Roger Derby,
and in 1715 bought of the family of Thomas Beadle deceased, the estate now
bounded by Essex, Pleasant, and East streets. He became a prominent merchant
of his time and bought much real estate in Salem. Capt. Ives died in the prime
of life, in the full tide of a prosperous career, about July, 1752.

101

After the death of Benjamm Ives in 1752, the estate
with additional purchases, including land obtained from
the town by vote of the citizens, in exchange for Pignal's^
or Roache's Point, on which is located the present ahiis-
house, amounting to forty acres, and also land from
Abbot,^ 16 Aug., 1738 (Reg. Deeds, Essex, vol. Ixxiv, fol.
176), passed into the possession of his son John Ives, who
conveyed the same to Richard Derby^ May 16, 1758 (see
Reg. Deeds, Essex, vol. cxliv, fol. 40).

After the death of Richard Derby this property was
assigned to John Derby towards his portion of his father's
estate, who conveyed the same by deed to Edward Allen,
Dec. 13, 1793 (see Reg. Deeds, Essex, vol. clvii, fol. 73).
After the death of Edward Allen, July 27, 1803, and of
his wife Margaret, Aug. 13, 1808, this estate passed into
the possession of his son Edward Allen, who sold the
same to Josiah Orne, Feb. 26, 1810 (see Reg. Deeds,
Essex, vol., clxxxviii, fol. 177). Josiah Orne, April 6,
1816, conveyed the same to Jonathan Dustin of Dan vers
(see Reg. Deeds, Essex, ccx, fol. SG). Eliza Sutton,
Hazen Ayer and Serena his wife, in her own right, all
of Peabody, being heirs of the late Jonathan Dustin,

6 This name appears in deeds, but it should be " Picton " named for Thomas
Picton to whom tlie land was originally granted. Sometimes spelled Pigden.

6 The following Deposition from the State Records probably refers to the same
person :— John Abbot of Salem, Shoreman, aged seventy years, testifyeth and
deposeth that during my acquaintance of many years with Mr. Philip English of
Salem who is now a Prisoner in the said Town Gaol, I have heard him the said
English declare that he was bred & born -in the Communion of the Church of Eng-
land, and that he would go to no other publick worship willingly, & if he had
opportunity to go to a Church agreeable to which when tlie Church was erected at
Marblehead he the said English & 1 have gone frequently thither together from
that time down to this, & further there lying a ferry between this Town & Marble-
head over which the ferryman could by no means be prevailed upon to carry us
every Lord's day, he, the said English, has several times spoke to me to be partner
with him in a Boat that we might go thither constantly to Church.
Salem, Feb. 29 : 1724-5.

"> For a sketch of the Derby Family, see Hist. Coll., Essex Inst., vol. Ill, pp.
154,201,283.

102

conveyed the same to Daniel B. Gardner, jr., of Salem,
Sept. 24, 1875 (Reg. Deeds, Essex, vol. dccccxli, fol.
233), who had the hind sm'veyed, streets and avenues laid
out, and many lots sold, upon which have been built a
laro^e number of seaside cottaores.

In 1876, the streets and avenues were constructed. In
1877, the Naumkeag Street Railway Company extended
its tracks from the junction of Essex and Webb streets
to the Willows. Cars went over the road June 9, of that
year — on the following day it was opened for the public
travel. Parties interested in the railroad bought land of
Mr. Gardner, June 19, 1878 (Reg. Deeds, Essex, vol. m,
fol. 204), and during the following spring and early
summer erected the Pavilion (the place of meeting), which
was opened to the public on the 17th of June. This
building contains on the lower flocn* a refreshment saloon,
a large hall 35 by 80 feet, with anterooms attached — en
the second floor, a large dining hall and kitchen, with
small private dining rooms. The tower has rooms in sev-
eral stories, and above the balcony, is a camera obscura,
giving an extensive marine view, including the adjacent
shores and the islands in the harbor. During the present
season the Coliseum, a large circular building, has been
erected for entertainments and public mcf tings — the
grounds have been enlarged by the purchase of Mr.
Gardner, of additional land adjoining, March 4, 1880 (Reg.
Deeds, Essex, vol. mxxxii, fol. 246), and very much im-
proved by the planting of shrubbery, ornamental trees,
and flowering plants, making paths, fountains, etc. Ad-
ditional improvements are in contemplation the coming
season.

This portion of the neck has been known in the past
as "The Higginson Farm," "The Allen Farm," and more
recently "The Juniper." Some years since, there was a

103

large group of juniper trees, but for several years they
have been o^raduallv decayino^ — a few vet lin2:er amoiiir
the cottages, so few that one would hardly conjectiire that
this place derived its name from their presence. Hos-
pital Point and the land adjoining on the northern boun-
dary of the above, owned by the city, was set apart by an
order of the city council, adopted May 9, 1859, "to be
kept open and dedicated as a Pul)lic Square for the use of
the inhabitants of Salem forever, under such regulations
as the council shall from time to time establish." Tiiis
place has been known as "The Willows," from a double
row of willows planted about the beginning of the present
century, under the direction of Capt. Israel Williams.

On the 8th of July, 1878, an ordinance was passed by
the council, and approved by the mayor on the day fol-
lowing, for " Ball Playing," assigning for this purpose a
piece of land enclosed as a part of the " Poor Farm," lying
west of "The Willows" so called, and running west and
including the rising ground to the western line of the fort.
On this land trees of various kinds have been set out,
and these grounds will probably be opened to the pul)iic
at no distant day.

During the forenoon, an opportunity was afforded, to those
interested in our early history, of visiting the various places
of interest, and of recalling some of the old landmarks
that are now rapidly disappearing under the hands of
modern improvement. On Winter Island and other places
near by, buildings were erected, wharves constructed,
and vessels built for the purpose of carrying on th6 fish-
eries which flourished from an early period to 1735, when
it was entirely discontinued in this locality, and now
scarcely a vestige of this former occupancy and industry
remains.

Previous to 1714, Winter Island was owned by the

104

commoners (except a narrow strip on the northeastern
end which was attached to the Higginson farm) , and was
leased to various individuals — after the vote of 1714, it
came into possession of the town and was used as a pas-
ture with the neck, after the discontinuance of the fisheries
until 1824, when it was transferred to the Poor Farm.
In 1863, it was ceded to the United States government
for coast defences.

In 1870, the Secretary of War permitted the Trustees
of the Plummer Farm School for boys to establish their
institution there, and the city conveyed to the same parties
w^hatever interest it might have in the premises.

This institution was founded by Miss Caroline Plummer
of Salem, who died May 15, 1854, and is intended for the
instruction, employment, and reformation of juvenile of-
fenders in the city of Salem. The residue of her estate,
after the payment of other bequests and debts, was appro-
priated to this purpose. Sum received, $25,462.23; the
Trustees are appointed by the mayor and aldermen, and
are incorporated by an act of the legislature, passed May
21, 1855. First meeting of the Trustees was held Nov.
26, 1855, when by-laws were adopted and officers elected.
The present building was finished for occupancy May 20,
1870. The city government appropriated $8,000 for this
object. Charles A. Johnson was appointed the superin-
tendent, and now holds the office. First boy was admitted
Sept. 1, 1870 — the present number is thirty. The pres-
ent amount of invested funds is $50,000.

The traditional site of Clifford's tavern was on the left
of the road just after passing the causeway. The Town
Eecords (vol. for 1659-1680, page 306) inform us that
"at a meeting of the selectmen, Nov. 25, 1679, the select-
men consent unto and approve of Serg* Jno. Clifibrd to
keepe a victualling house att Winter Island."

105

III 1805, the question of the town's right to sell this
island was introduced at a town meeting, and a committee,
consisting of Joseph Story (afterwards Justice U. S.
Sup. Court) and others, was directed to report on the
subject — the report was favorable and was submitted at a
meeting held Aug. 12 (see Salem Gaz. , Aug. 16-20, 1805) ,
and was not accepted. Samuel Putnam (afterwards a Judge
Mass. Sup. Court) expressed views in opposition, and it is
intimated that AVm. Prescott entertained similar opinions.

Some fifty years afterwards the subject of selling Winter
Island was again agitated and referred by the city council
to the city solicitor for his opinion (see Report on the
sale of the Neck Lands, communicated to the city council,
Dec. 27, 1858, by W. C. Endicott, the city solicitor (now
Judge Mass. Sup. Court).

This document, in addition to the legal opinions therein
expressed, contains a history of the Neck Lands, in par-
ticular, and notices of the commoners' grants, the cir-
stances under which they were made, the policy pursued
by them at that period, and also the town's connection
with these lands. It is well known that all the lands in
this vicinity were originally held by the commoners, the
proprietors of lands lying in common and undivided. At
meetings held in 1713 and 1714, votes were passed,
granting to the town, the roads, the burial places, the
neck, the common, and other unappropriated lands, lying
within the body of the town. Grants were also made to
the poor for a pasture under the care of the selectmen,
and to the ministry in the several parishes, also, that all
the common lands be measured and divided amoni^ the
commoners, according to the number of cottage rights
each one held. Several distinct proprietaries were formed
under an act of the legislature. The Great Pasture,
Sheep Pasture, etc. Scarcely a vestige now exists of
this old custom of holding lands in common. In this

106

connection, reference may be made to a Report on
"The common lands of the cit}^ of Salem," prepared
b}^ Hon. C. W. Upham, during his mayoralty, and printed
in the Reports for the financial year 1852.

Several forts and breastworks have from time to time
been built, but only two now remain. Fort Lee on the high-
lands of the Neck, and Fort Pickering on Winter Island.
According to tradition. Fort Lee was originally planned
by Gen. Charles Lee, w^io gave instructions regarding
its construction, and that it be designated l)y his name.
Charles Lee was a major general in the Revolutionary
army, born at Dernhall, Cheshire, England, in 1731,
died at Philadelphia, 2 Oct., 1782. He accompanied
Washington to Cambridge, where he took command of
the army 3 July, 1775 ; at this time he was employed with
others in arranging for the defence of the harbors along
this coast.

Fort Pickering was built soon after the settlement ;
frequent allusions are found in our Records. Li 1699, it
was called Fort William, sometimes Fort Ann. Oct. 30,
1799, the name was changed by order of the war depart-
ment to Fort Pickering, in honor of T. Pickering of
Salem, a member of Washington's military family during
the war, and of his cabinet during his presidency. It has
been several times put in order, when war was pending,
mounted with cannons and garrisoned w^ith troops ; on
the return of peace, the guns were removed and the
troops disbanded.^

Perhaps the most interesting of these earthworks, be-
cause now threatened with obliteration at no distant day,
though still easily traced, is the one at the Juniper.

There seems to have been an old block house there in
1758. Barracks had been erected there, April 22, 1776,

8 See Hist. Coll. Essex Inst., vol. V.

107

and in 1787, Juniper's battery is named in a report of
the French engineer, Eochefontaine, who was then ex-
amining the fortifications of New England. At this
period, the old forts seem to have been much frequented
by children from the east end of the town, who resorted
there for games of props and wrestling, and on holidays
found cakes and other articles of refreshment for sale
there. (See Hist. Coll. Essex Inst., vol. VI, p. 85.)

Another incident of interest is preserved in the "famous
records" kept at the barber's shop of Benjamin Blanchard
on Essex, opposite Cambridge street ; in which records,
local events were entered from day to day, by the emi-
nent patrons of that resort. An entry under date of
Jan'y 17, 1809, reads as follows :

"Col. Lee, Collector of Customs, at the head of about
seventy men, went to the Hospital on the Juniper, to
prevent the Embargo laws from being violated. It was
suspected a vessel belonging in Beverly would sail that
evening." The suspected craft did not sail that evening,
but escaped the Collector's vigilance a night or two after,
and it was said that her Federalist owners, as a blind,
claimed that she had been run away with, and advertised
a reward for information which would convict any un-
authorized persons of having taken possession of her.
The Hospital at the Juniper was established in 1792 (?)
and was destroyed by fire on the 16th of October, 1846,
and the playground which the boys of Salem selected a
century ago is now a place of wholesome recreation
for the southern half of Essex County.

The inspiration of the occasion was not wholly in the
memories of the past, but bright sunlight, refreshing
breezes, the lovely green of the shore and the deep blue
of the bay, dotted with the white sails of many yachts,
engaged in their annual regatta that morning, added

108

much to the enjoyment of the large number who partici-
pated in the celebration.

At 1 p. M. lunch was served in the dining hall ; at 2.30
o'clock the afternoon session was held in the hall below.
The President in the chair.

The President introduced, in brief and appropriate
words, Robert S. Rantoul, Esq., who delivered the ad-
dress which is printed in the Historical Collections of the
Institute, Vol. XVI, Part 3, with the other exercises of
the meeting, consisting of a poem written by Miss Lucy
Larcom, and read by Rev. De Witt S. Clark, of the
Tabernacle Church, Salem ; remarks from Col. T. W.
Hioforinson of Cambrido^e, Hon. G. Washinsfton Warren
of Boston, Hon. G. B. Loring of Salem, Hon. H. K.
Oliver, mayor of the city, Seth Low, Esq., of New York
City ; letters were read by Rev. E. S. Atwood of the South
Church, Salem, from Hon. Chas. Levi Woodbury of
Boston, John G. Whittier of Danvers, Hon. Robert
Chas. Winthrop of Boston, Hon. Leveret t Saltonstall of
Newton, Prof. A. P. Peabody of Cambridge, and Hon.
Marshall P. Wilder of Dorchester. The exercises appro-
priately^ closed with the reading by Rev. George H.
Hosmer, of the East Church, Salem, of a communication,
prepared by Stanley Waters, an associate member, giving
a succinct account of the life of Rev. William Bentley,
D.D., a former minister of that church, a distinguished
antiquarian and historical scholar, and well known for his
attainments in philology and general literature ; this
gathering also commemorates his birth-day. He was
born in Boston, June 22, 1759. The paper also contains
a narration (found among Dr. Bentley's papers) of a
drive of Benjamin Ward, in company with his grand-
father, Miles Ward, about the town, in 1760.

A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands, with
Annotations,

By Edgar A. Mearns.

[Continued from page 25, Vol. XII.]

Family, CORVID-aJ.

102. Corvus frugivorus (Bartram). Common Crow. A per-
maneut resident; breeds.

Crows are partially mii^ratory ; and whether those that breed here
are permanent residents, or are replaced in winter by individuals
which breed farther north, is a mooted question ; the latter hypothesis
seems most probable, however. There is a regular spring and fall
migration, when they move in immense flocks. On the evening of
December 5, 1876, I saw a flock that almost rivalled an historic flock
of Wild Pigeons. The Crows were flying southward, and settling in
an evergreen wood beside the Hudson. I immediately started
towards the spot, and, as I neared it, they all arose. The flock that
I saw alight at first was but a small fraction of the entire number that
then rose into the air; there were thousands of them. Save the loud,
rushing sound produced by their flight, which sounded like the
roar of a large waterfall, they were nearly silent. As they circled
overhead, a few caws, like word.s of command from chosen oflicers,
were heard ; but the rank and file uttered no sound. Soon they
alighted again in a deciduous forest not far distant, only to be again
alarmed at something and take to flight; but they finally settled near
the same place for the night, without a caw or a wing-flap to indicate
the whereabouts of that sable army of usually garrulous birds. These
migratory flocks begin to appear in October, and continue until the
commencement of winter. In February, flocks are seen passing
northward.

There is a mountain in the Highlands, on the east side of the Hud-
son, where, late in summer, thousands of Crows come nightly to
roost in the cedars ; all come from the east, and I do not think that
any of our resident Crows join their camp.

Crows are expert fishers. In winter, they watch at the fissures in
the ice along shore, at low tide, and claw out whatever fishes are
passing. I have known two Crows to capture upwards of twenty
good-sized goldfishes (^Crassius auratus) in less than an hour's time.

(109)

110

Crows usually begin to build early in April. Mating begins in
March, when they are more noisy and less shy, than at other times.
The eggs, as a rule, are deposited from the middle of April to the
middle of May. A nest was found on April 14, 1873, containing six
eggs; another on May 24, 1873, with four fresh eggs. Their com-
plement varies from four to seven. The old birds are very assiduous
in the care of their young; the latter make a great outcry while being
fed ; the mother may often be seen flying in circles about the nest,
talking to the little ones, and modulating her voice whimsically.

Crows eat the eggs of other birds. I caught one in the act of
destroying those of the Night Heron (Nyctiardea grisea ncevia). He
came silently and stealthily into the swamp, but my shot cut short
his rapacious career just as he was about to indulge his gluttonous
appetite at such great cost to the poor Herons, and he tumbled in-
gloriously into the mud.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of six males: length, 19-30;
stretch, 37-70; wing, 12-18; tail, 7-52; culmen, 1-92; gape, 2-22; tar-
sus, 2-40; middle toe, 1-51 ; middle toe and its claw, 1-98. Average
measurements of six females: length, 18-60; stretch, 36-05; wing,
11-82; tail, 7-12; culmen, 1-76; gape, 2-02; tarsus, 2-28; middle toe,
1-38; middle toe and its claw, 1-85. Measurements of largest male
(No. 234, $ ad., October 8, 1874, Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M.) :
length, 19-75; stretch, 39-00; wing, 13-31; tail, 8-06; culmen, 1-96;
gape, 2-26; tarsus, 2-40; middle toe and its claw, 1-98. Measurements
of smallest female (No. 2,011, $ ad., March 13, 1880, Highland Falls,
N. Y., E. A. M.): length, 18-10; stretch, 34-50; wing, 10-85; tail,
6-85; culmen, 1-73; gape, 1-98; tarsus, 2-27; middle toe audits claw,
1-80.

103. Corvus ossifragus (^Wilson). Fish Crow. Occasional
upon the Hudson River. Observed from Riverdale to Cornwall.

I recorded its capture at Highland Falls, in the Bulletin of the Nut-
tall Ornithological Club (Vol. Ill, No. 1, pp. 45-46, for January, 1878),
on the 7th of May, 1877, when I shot a female specimen. I have
come across but one other Fish Crow on the Hudson River. On
May 1, 1880, at Cornwall, I heard a note several times repeated, which I
recognized as that of the Fish Crow. Afterwards, one flew towards
me and passed quite near, so that I had a distinct view of it; its note,
at the same time, was unmistakable, but I had no gun with me to
make assurance doubly sure.

Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, the only other observer who has noted this
Crow upon our river, writes as follows :* " As will be seen from the
following remarks, there is no doubt that a pair of these birds have

1 Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. Ill, No. 3, p. 131, July, 187S.

Ill

been in the vicinity during tlie past season. I first noticed thorn on
February 24, being attracted by their small size, and for sevt r.il weeks
tliereafter they were often seen, their peculiarities of note and habit
at once distinguishing them from the common Crow. Tlieir favorite
resort seems to be a growth of tall and partially decayed locusts bor-
dering a fresh-water pond, and on two of these trees standing to-
gether, somewhat apart from the others, the birds were to l)e f >und
almost every morning, but, owing to their shyness and the openness
of the ground, I was unable to approacii within gunshot. In alight-
ing, they usually chose the very topmost l)ranches of the trees, and
when approached manifested their suspicion by a restless and excited
motion of the wings, which appeared to be more pointed than in the
more stoutly built C. Americamis. Their note was an abrupt, ex-
pressionless croak, usually delivered singly and at regular intervals.
Though other Crows were often seen in the vicinity, this pnir kept
aloof by themselves, and several times 1 saw them chased by a clam-
orous party of their larger relatives. Latterly, tliey have been rarely
noticed, and then always singly, thus indicating that they are breeding
in the vicinity."

In 184-i, De Kay first gave the Fish Crows as inhabitants of New
York State, observing'' that "they are occasionally seen on the shores
of Long Island, but are generally confounded with the Coirnnou
Crow." His statement was not, until quite recently, fully sul)stau-
tiated, and has been quite generally discredited by writers. Mr.
Clarence H. Eagle set the matter at rest, liowever, by pul)li>hing (in
the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornitliological Club, Vol. Ill, No. 1, p. 47,
for January, 1878) the following notice of its capture : " On tlu- 17th
of July, 1873, 1 shot a fine female of this species near Hockaway, L. I.
The bird was flying around, but kept a[)art from a flock ot Com-
mon Crows in the vicinity." Mr. Theodore Roosevelt furnished the
next record of its capture on Lor.g Island (Notes on some of the
Birds of Oyster Bay, L. I., March, 1879). He says : '- Dec. 30. 1874,
I shot a male. There was then a good deal of snow on the ground.
It was b}' itself, although the Connnon Crows were assembled in great
flocks." Messrs. Louis A. Zerega and H A. IHirdie (see Bulletin N.
O. C, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 205 to 20s, and 240, October. Ls80) have
recently thrown much light upon the northern distribution of this
species, and it is now established to be a regularly breetling sunnner
resident on Staten Lsland, where Mr. H. A Wheeler has observed it
from March to November, and observes that during the past five
years he has always found it breeding on 8laten Island, hut seldom
finds more than half a dozen nests in a season, if as many as that.

2 New York Zoology, Pjxrc IJ, p. 135, 18t4.

112

Mr. De L. Berier does not regard it as rare on Long Island. Mr.
Zerega has found it to be a common permanent resident along the
shore of Sandy Hook Bay and at Seabright, N. J., and infers that it
breeds in those places.

I found a large flock of Fish Crows near Garden City, Long Island,
N. Y., on October 29, 1880. There were others straggling about, but
not associating with the Common Crows, which were also abundant.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 1,3G0, ? ad.. May 7, 187G,
Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 16-00; stretch, 33 20; wing,
10-84; tail, 6-20; culmeu, 137; gape, 1-65; tarsus, 1*85; middle toe,
1-30; its claw, -47.

104. Cyanocitta cristata (Linne). Blue Jay. A permanent
resident ; breeds. Large flocks move north in spring, and south in
autumn.

Dimensions.— Aver Sige measurements of fourteen specimens : length,
11-74; stretch, 16-77; wing, 5-14; tail, 5-19; culmen, 1-09; gape, 1-20;
bill from nostril, '71; tarsus, 1-39; middle toe, -79; its claw, 36.
Average of eight males: length, 11-92; stretch, 16-96; wing, 5-23;
tail, 5 27; culmen, 1-08; gape, 1-19; bill from nostril, -70; tarsus,
1-45. Average of six females: length, 11-63; stretch, 16-66; wing,
5 08; tail, 5-14; culmen, 1-09; gape, 1-21; bill from nostril, -72; tar-
sus, 1-38; middle toe, -79; its claw, -36.

Family, TYRANNID^.

105. Tyrannus carolinensis (/>i«.ne). Kingbird ; Bee-martin.
A common summer resident; breeds. Arrives during the first half
of May (4, 1872; 14, 1873; 11, 1874; 9, 1875; 8, 1876; 13, 1877; 1,
1878; 9, 1879; 8, 1880), and remains until September.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of eleven specimens : length,
8-51; stretch, 14-61; wing, 4-64; tail, 3-55; culmen, -74; bill from
nostril, -55; gape, -98; tarsus, -75; middle toe, -57; its claw, -28.

106. Myiarcliuscrinitus (iz?i»e). Great-crested Flycatcher.
A common migrant, and rather abundant summer resident; breeds.
Arrives in May (22, 1874, 16, 1875; 13, 1876; 23, 1877; 3, 1878; 9,
1879; 8, 1880), and stays till about the end of September (24, 1873;
19, 1875).

Great-crested Flycatchers are extremely pugnacious. I once shot
one that was fighting with another of its species, and seemed to be a
veteran warrior, for his rectrices were reduced to a single one, while
his general appearance reminded me of that of a dissipated tom-cat.
My shot only wounded it, and it fiew upwards in a spiral, and then
slowly descended to the ground in the same manner, screaming and
snapping its bill, the whole distance. When I started to secure it, it

113

flew directly at me, biting, snapping its bill, and uttering piercing
screams.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of six specimens : length,
901; stretch, 13-49; wing, 4-14; tail, 3-75; bill from nostril, -62;
culmen, -77; gape, 1-09; tarsus, -84; middle toe, -50; its claw, '26.

107. Sayornis fuscus {GmeUn). Phgebe-bird; Pewee Fly-
catcher. A common summer resident; breeds. Arrives early in
March (17, 1871; 26, 1872; 19, 1873; 21, 1874; 29, 1875; 28, 1876 [26,
de Nottbeck at Fishkill] ; 26, 1877; 13, 1878; 13, 1879; 2, 1880), and
remains until about the first of November (October 15, 1874; 23,
1876; 26, 1879). I have found its nest completed by April 10 (1880).
In 1878, its full complement of eggs was laid April 20, and the first
eg<^ of their second brood was deposited on May 20th. A pair for
several years built their nest in a shaft of an iron mine, in a dark
and extremely humid situation; this nest contained no less than six
eggs, on May 3, 1880.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of fourteen specimens : length,
6-99; stretch, 11-03; wing, 338; tail, 289; bill from nostril, -41; cul-
men, -60; gape, -75; tarsus, -67; middle toe and its claw, -59; toe
alone, '40.

108. Contopusborealis (/S'toainso?i)- Olive-sided Flycatcher.
A common spring and ftill migrant. Arrives late in May, and passes
through before June (May 25 to 28, 1876; 25 to 29, 1877; 10 to 25,
1878; 9, 1879); seen in autumn from the 27th of August to the 18th
of September (August 27 to September 18, 1875; September 5 to 15,
1876; September 1, 1879).

I first saw the Olive-sided Flycatcher in September, 1872, when I sur-
prised several of them that were engaged in their favorite pastime of
plucking each other in mid-air, amidst a din of screams and vitupera-
tions, and settled their quarrel by summarily disposing of two of the
belligerents in my basket. Since then, I have found it nearly every
spring and autumn, and frequently, during the latter season, in con-
siderable numbers. In spring, when it is rather scarce, it is usually
seen singly, or in pairs, perched upon a dry limb on top of some tall
tree, sitting remarkably erect, with its crest raised. It is frequently
very wild, and hard to shoot.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of five specimens : length,
7-39; stretch, 12-68; wing, 4-05; tail, 2-70; bill from nostril, -54; gape,
•97; tarsus, -60; middle toe, -46; middle toe and its claw, -70.

109. Contopus virens {Linne). Wood Pewee. A common
summer resident; breeds. Arrives from the South about the middle
of May (12, 1873; 12, 1874; 11, 1875; 19, 1876; 17, 1877; 20, 1878; 14,
1879; 13, 1880), and takes its departure late in September (21, 1874;
14, 1876; 11, 1880).

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XII. 8

114

Dimensions.— Average measurements of eight specimens : length,
6-53; stretch, lOGl; wing, 3-34; tail, 2-62; bill from nostril, -42;
culmen, '65; gape, -83; tarsus, '50; middle toe, -32; middle toe and
its claw, -48.

110. Empidonax pusillus traillii (^mcZm6o?i). Traill's Fly-
catcher. A rather uncommon spring and fall migrant, and occasional
in summer; probably breeds.

This active, noisy species is usually present during the latter part
of May (12 to 31, 1875; 22 to 28, 1876; 25, 1878; 13, 1880), and passes
south in autumn. Messrs. Roosevelt and Minot found it summering
in the Adirondacks, in Franlclin County, N. Y.^ Dr. Thomas M.
Brewer described its eggs (Proceedings of the United States National
Museum, p. 4, April 29, 1879) taken in Catskill mountains, N. Y., by
Dr. James C. Merrill.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of three adult males : length,
6-09; stretch, 9-36; wing, 2-87; tail, 2-33; bill from nostril, -35; gape,
•70; tarsus, -GQ; middle toe and its claw, -58; toe alone, -42.

111. Empidonax minimus (Baird). Least Flycatcher. A
very common summer resident; breeds. Reaches us from the South
about the beginning of May (15, 1874; 10, 1875; 8, 1876; 7, 1877; 2,
1878; April 29, 1879, 26, 1880), and departs during the last of Sep-
tember and first part of October (latest observation October 8, 1874).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of tvrelve specimens : length,
5-41; stretch, 8-15; wing, 2-51; tail, 2-21; bill from nostril, -31; gape,
•65; tarsus, -65; middle toe and its claw, -49; toe alone, '32.

112. Empidonax flaviventris (JBaird)- Yellows-bellied Fly-
catcher. A common spring and fall migrant. Arrives early in May,
and passes on before June (May 9, 1873; 31, 1875; 23 to 28, 1876;
17, 1877; 22, 1878; 14, 1879; 13, 1880). In autumn, passes south dur-
ing September (latest observation September 28, 1875).

Dimensions. — Average measurements of seven specimens: length,
5-63; stretch, 8-70; wing, 265; tail, 216; tarsus, -59.

Family, CAPRIMULGIDiE.

113. Caprimulgus vociferus (Wilsoji). Whippoorwill. A
very common summer resident; breeds. Reaches us from the South
about the beginning of May (April 23, 1872; May 6, 1873; 12, 1874;
10, 1875; 11, 1876; April 27, 1877; 24, 1878; May 4, 1879; April 22,
1880), and departs during !Septeml)er. My latest date is September
30, 1875, when I procured a female specimen. In 1878, its notes
were heard during September, as late as the 23d. Its cry is not as

3 The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks, in Franklin County, N. Y.,No. '"61,"

1877.

115

frequently heard after the beginning of August, as during the early
part of summer.

I append the following note from ray journal: "May 14, 1877.
This evening I approached a wall behind which a pair of Whippoor-
wills were crying; every minute they wonld fly out after insects, in
small circles, immediately continuing their notes on settling again,
so that scarcely any interruption was perceptible. Between each
ichip-poor-will, they uttered a cavernous chuck as usual, and then
a low, guttural hoWow caw-ca-ca ca-ca — hic-hic-hic — ca-ca-tic, etc.
These ludicrous sounds, probably their love notes, were uttered in
a low, hollow tone. I shot the male, at which the ft-male flew close up
to me, then removed a short distance, and commenced a loud ickip-
poor-ivill in seemingly a joyous tone; but this is probablj-^ their one
way of expressing every strong emotion."

Dimensions. — Average measurements of seven specimens: length,
9-75; stretch, 18G0; wing, G-08; tail, 4-65; culmen, -37; bill from
nostril, -30; gape, 1'34; tarsus, -70; middle toe, -64: ; its claw, -24.

114. Chordeiles popetue (VieiUot). Nighthawk. A rather
common summer resident; breeds. Arrives towards the end of April
(May 12, 1872; April 14, 1873; May 15, 1875; 18, 1877: April 27, 1878;
18, 1879; May 8, 1880), and departs late in September (October 3,
1874; September 15, 1875; 15, 1876). Large flocks pass through
during migrations.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No, G81, $ ad.. May 17, 1875, E. A.
M. : length, 10*00; stretch, 24-00; wing, 7'88: tail, 480; culmen,
•25 ; tarsus, -55.

Family, CYPSELIDiE.

115. Chsetura pelagica (iiune). Chimney Swift; "Chimney
Swallow." An abundant summer resident; breeds. Arrives about
the end of April (28, 1872; May 6, 1873; 8, 1874; 3, 1875; 6, 1876;
April 26, 1877; 28, 1878; May 4, 1879; April 27, 1880), and departs the
last of September (30, 1877; 28, 1878; 29, 1879; 18, 1880).

Chimney Swifts begin to build during the last week of May, when
they may be seen breaking oft' the small, dry twigs with which they
build their nests, while on wing. The eggs are laid early in June.
During migrations they associate in large flocks, roosting in some
large, high chimney. They retire just at dusk, dropping down chimney
very much as Rails settle into the grass.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of thirteen specimens : length,
5-43; stretch, 12-46; wing, 4 94; tail, 190; bill from nostril, -15; gape,
•59; tarsus, 49; middle toe, -29; middle toe and its claw, -45; claw
alone, -22.

116

Family, TROCHILID^.

116. Trochilus colubris, (iinne). Ruby-throated Humming-
bird. A commou summer resident; breeds. Arrives early in May
(2, 1872; 11, 1873; 10, 1874; 11, 1875; 6, 187G; 12, 1877; 4, 1878), and
departs in September (29, 1874; 20, 1876; 25, 1880).

Our Humming-bird is fond of visiting the marshes along the
Hudson. The bulrush-tops are sometimes used to line its nest with;
and the flowers growing there are a great attraction. It is a very
fierce little creature when angered. I have seen one attack a pair of
Downy Woodpeckers upon the tree which it had chosen for its nest,
and drive them off, exhibiting the utmost rage. Once I saw one dart
furiously at a small red balloon which a boy was flying in a field. It
often alights on telegraph wires.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of six specimens: length,
3*74; stretch, 4-12; wing, 1-54; tail, 1*15; culmen, '67; gape -80;
tarsus, '18; middle toe and claw, -24.

Family, ALCEDINIDJE.

117. Ceryle alcyon {Linne). Belted Kingfisher. A common
summer resident ; breeds. Arrives in March (26, 1872; 31, 1873; 18,
1874; April 2, 1875; 11, 1876; March 26, 1878; April 9, 1879; 5, 1880),
and stays till late in November (4, 1874: 30, 1878). It probably
dfccurs on the lower part of the river in winter.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of fourteen specimens : length,
1302; stretch, 22-16; wing, 6-17; tail, 3-60; bill from nostril, 1-85;
gape, 2-92; tarsus, "42; middle toe, -59; its claw, '38.

Family, CUCULID^.

118. Coccyztis erythrophthalmus {Wilson). Black-billed
Cuckoo. A very common summer resident; breeds plentifully.
Arrives in May (13, 1874; 20, 1875; 20, 1876; 13, 1877; 4, 1878; 9,
1879; April 26, 1880), and stays through September (25, 1874; 16,
1879).

It begins nesting in May. The young are covered with curious-
looking pin-feathers, which gives them an appearance like that of the
wire swab used in gun-cleaning. The old bird is a close sitter, and,
when obliged to leave its nest, moves ofi" slowly upon the branches,
with wings and tail outspread. Sometimes it will come quite close to
the observer, and then utter for several minutes a low, mournful coo,
coo, coo, coo, and then an outpouring of harsh, loud notes that quickly
bring the mate to its side, all the while keeping its wings and tail ex-

117

paneled, and crouching low upon the branch. Its ordinary notes are
quite commonly heard at night as well as during the day.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of nine specimens : length,
11-83; stretch, 16'o5; wing, o-oO; tail, 6-26; bill from nostril, -74;
gape, 1-27; tarsus, 102; middle toe, -79; middle toe and its claw,
1-06.

119. Coccyzusamericanus (Linne). Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
A summer resident; breeds; much less numerous than the Black-
billed Cuckoo. Arrives early in May (14, 1876; 6, 1878; 10, 1880),
and stays until late in September (23, 1874).

Dimensions — Average measurements of four female specimens:
length, 12-20; stretch, 17-04; wing, 570; tail, €'20; bill from nostril,
'ir ' "' -

Family, PICIDJE.

120. Pious villosus (Linne). Hairy Woodpecker. A per-
manent resident; sometimes abundant; breeds, but not plentifully,
A nest which I found on Consook Island, in the Hudson River, on
May 5, 1878, was built in a natural cavity in a small tree, about four
feet from the ground, and contrary to Hairy's usual habit, it was
warmly built of grass and strips of bark, whereas the eggs are com-
monly deposited right on the chips, without any attempt at a nest.
The entrance was through a knot-hole, and neither it nor the interior
had been enlarged by the birds. The nest rested on a mass of decayed
black muck at the bottom of the hole.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twelve specimens : length,
9-40; stretch, 15-66; wing, 4-78; tail, 330; culmen, 1-22; bill from
nostril, 1-00; gape, 132; tarsus, -84; middle toe, -57; its claw, '40.
.121. Pious pubescens (iinne). Downy Woodpecker. A per-
manent resident ; abundant; breeds.

The Downy Woodpeckers, though always abundant, are especially
so during the first warm days of spring-time, when they become
almost gregarious, and are apparently on the move northward. Their
full complement of eggs is usually deposited during the first two
weeks of May, although I have found their eggs as late as May 30
(1876).

Downy is a very active, industrious bird, and perhaps this is the
reason why he experiences no special discomfort from cold during the
bleak winter season. At night he is comfortably housed in a hole,
which he digs expressly for that purpose. What a knowing cove he
is ! Alwaj^s, so far as my experience goes, he places the entrance to his
burrow so as to face the sunny south. Though Downy is a wanderer
like the rest of his tribe, yet, whenever he takes a journey into a far

118

country, his first labor is to construct a home wherein to spend the
cold, dark night. I have often watched him at work, and have found
that he is apt to remain for several days in the vicinity of his burrow.
Let me give a chapter of Downy's history, copied from my note-book:
I first saw him at half-past four o'clock, on the afternoon of February
20, 1878. At that time he had burrowed a very little way into a pear-
tree — just made a beginning — at a height of about four feet from the
ground. When I returned, in less than a couple of hours, he had
entirely disappeared from view, except when he came to the top of
his mine, and dropped the chips which resulted from his labors down
below. When I visited the place by daylight, I found a smoothly-fin-
ished cavity such as is used for the purpose of nidiflcation, and the
ground covered with chips, but no Downy was in sight. Shortly after
sunset I again visited the nest, and found him snugly ensconced
within the cavity, with his bill warmly tucked away amongst the
feathers, which latter were rufl'ed up so as to look like a black and
white ball, with a red-napped head tucked in the middle. While
sleeping, his whole frame heaved at every breath, so profound was
his slumber. I summoned a friend to come and see my Woodpecker:
after watching him a while, our voices awoke him, when he flew
swiftly out, and lit upon a pear-tree close by, whence, after a lapse of
five minutes, during which time he remained perfectly motionless, he
returned to the burrow.

March 1st, I visited Downy at 5.50 o'clock a. m., and found him
still sleeping soundly, although the Bluebirds were already singing,
and the Crows flying in flocks overhead. I waited for one hour to
find out his time of rising. At 6.50 o'clock, I heard an admonitory
tapping upon the inside of the tree — a waking-up process analogous
to our bathing and dressing, doubtless. A moment later, his head
appeared at the entrance to his burrow, whence, after a jerky salu-
tation to the first sunrise of spring, he hied him forth to his day's toil.
At first, he lit on a pear-tree near by, tapped sleepily at the branch,
ascended to the top of it, looked curiously at me, and then took a
long flight over into the woods, where I soon heard his loud notes.
Downy is not an early riser! On March 3d, I made the following
note : " This evening at half-past five o'clock, I visited the Downy
Woodpecker, and found him sound asleep in his hole, clinging to the
side of the cavity, with head thrown over to one side and nestling
amongst the feathers, showing conspicuously the crimson feathers of
the nape. The feathers of the breast were deeply creased down the
middle. As ray warm breath reached him, his chest stopped heaving,
and, with a swiftness that was astonishing as contrasted with his
previous deep slumber, he tkrew out his neck and head, but, as I in-
stantly retired, he did not leave the burrow, nor, probably, find out

119

what had awakened him. He retires to the burrow every evening at
sunset, or sooner. On March 6th, I noted : "A female Bluebird
was worr3ing and making a great disturbance about the Downy's
hole, which she, apparently, had occupied during the day, but which
he had again appropriated to sleep in. All of tlie Snowbirds in the
neighborhood had assembled, and were contributing to the fracas all
that they were able in the way of din ; meanwhile, Picus looked out of
the circular entrance to his house, collected and calm, but flew away
at my approach to the woods and did not return till late.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of twenty-nine specimens:
length, 6-83; stretch, 11-98; wing, 3-70; tail, 2-53; culmen, -QS; gape,
•79 ; tarsus, -65 ; middle toe and its claw, -60.

122. Sphyrapicus varius {Linne). Yellow-bellied "Wood-
pecker. Resident, except during the summer months; abundant
during spring and fall migrations, but rarer in winter.

This handsome Woodpecker is frequently seen in our forests and
orchards. Like most of its family, it possesses a variety of notes,
one of which resembles the common cry of the Blue Jay. Mr. Peter
de Nottbeck informed me that he has frequently found it during au-
tumn, eating the corn in the fields; it was while thus feeding that he
usually secured his specimens. Early in October, 1880, 1 saw these
birds migrating along the«beach, at Great South Bay, Long Island, in
large numbers. Sometimes they lit on the low pines, or even on the
ground. They were passing westward in straggling flocks which
were almost constantly in view.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of nineteen specimens : length,
8-56; stretch, 15-37; wing, 4-87; tail, 3-20; culmen, -92; gape, 1-07;
tarsus, -78; middle toe and its claw, -85.

123. Centurus carolinus {Linne). Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Occasionally found in summer. I recorded (in the Bulletin of the
Nuttall Club, Vol. Ill, No. 3, p. 146, 1878) the capture of a specimen
at Cornwall, on the Hudson, in September, 1870. A second specimen
was shot at Cold Spring, on the Hudson, by Mr. Francis Butterfass.

124. Melanerpes erythrocephalus {Linne). Red-headed
Woodpecker. Occurs during spring and fall, and more rarely in
winter. Not known to breed in the Highlands, but breeds commonly
a little to the west of them. Occasionally, the young are quite num-
erous in autumn ; but the species is rarely met with at other seasons.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of nine specimens: length,
9-75; stretch, 17-90; wing, 5*52; tail, 3-30; culmen, 1-17; gape, 1-37;
tarsus, -87; middle toe, -72; its claw, '39.

125. Colaptes auratus {Linne). Golden-winged Woodpecker.
Flicker; High-hole. A permanent resident, but of irregular occur-
rence, and generally rare in winter; breeds plentifully. Arrives in

120

full force during March ; has its first brood on wiug by the middle of
June ; departs before December, excepting those which spend the
winter north.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of fifteen specimens: length,
12-60; stretch, 20-75; wing, 6-25; tail, 4-63; culmen, 1-42; gape,
1-57; tarsus, 1-14; middle toe, -87; middle toe and its claw, 1-27.

Family, STRIGIDJE.

126. Bubo virginianus (Gmelin). Grkat Horned Owl; "Hoot
Owl." a permanent resident; breeds. Have heard its notes at mid-
day, in cloudy weather.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of two male specimens : length,
21-44; stretch, 53-88; wing, 1448; tail, 8G3; culmen, measured from
frontal feathers, 1-55; from cere, 1-10; tarsus (about), 2-30; middle
toe, 2-00; its claw, 1-12.

127. Scops asio {Linne). Screech Owl; Mottled Owl. A
perfnanent resident ; abundant; breeds.

On May 30, 1875, I found a Screech Owl's nest in the hollow bole
of a buttonwood-tree, about fifteen feet from the ground. On
thrusting my hand into the cavity, it was instantly seized by the old
bird, which I drew out of the hole and flung away from me with the
utmost dispatch, without reflecting that I was allowing an interesting
specimen to escape ; but I removed one of the younglings, and after-
ward captured both of the parents, which were in the gray plumage,
as were their three young. Two of the young w^ere kept all summer
as pets, and were allow^ed perfect freedom ; towards autumn they left
the place, but one of them was found in the woods and brought back,
but soon left us again ; they were never heard of afterwards. The
parent birds were shot at night. On my first nocturnal visit, both
birds flew close about my ears, and uttered a curious, deep, guttural
sound, like one of the notes of the Black-billed Cuckoo {Cocayzus
erythrophthalmus) ; sometimes they darted with great swiftness close
to my head, and snapped their bills sharply as they passed. I killed
the female, and shot the male on the following night, when I was as-
sailed in the same manner as on the previous evening.

On the following season, a pair of Golden-winged Woodpeckers
{Colaptes auratus) took possession of the owl- tree, and held it until
the spring of 1879, when I was again attacked by a pair of Screech
Owls, when walking past the tree one dark night. On examination, a
single young bird, and an addled egg^ were found in the tree ; the
latter was, of course, appropriated on the spot. The old birds
snapped their bills as usual, but also uttered an indescribable cry
which was new tome. A few days later, I visited the nest in the day-

121

time, and captured the female in the hole along with the youus: one.
After a prolonged search, the male was descried sitting in the crotch
of a white-oak tree, in the midst of a clump of branchlets ; his "ears"
were ver}' conspicuous, and his neck fully extended, as h« attempted
to obtain a better view of me. Both parents were red ; but the young
one was gray, like those obtained from the same tree four years pre-
viously. ^

The red, and gray-plumaged birds are about equally numerous.
Some specimens are intermediate.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of nine specimens: length,
9-40; stretch, 23 61: wing, 6-40; tail, 309; culmen, -63; gape, -98;
tarsus, 1-54; middle toe, 180; its claw, -48.

128. Asio americanus (Stephens). American Long-eared
Owl. a permanent resident; breeds. Mr. Francis Butterfass in-
formed me that it was abundant about Cold Spring, where he often
shot specimens. It breeds on Constitution Island, where I surprised
a family of young ones, accompanied by their parents. It was at
mid-day; the Owls sat in a group, with necks elongated, and ears
erect. The sun shone bright, but, when disturbed, they flew without
apparent inconvenience.

i)mc?jsi07js.— -Measurements of No. 2,021, $ ad. April 9, 1880,
Constitution Island, Hudson River, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 14-30;
stretch, 3G-00; wing, 11*00; tail, G-00; culmen measured from frontal
feathers, 1-OG; bill from nostril, -54; gape, 1-20; tarsus, 1-55; middle
toe, 1-11; middle toe and claw, 1-65. Measurements of No. 2,062 $
ad. June 23, 1880, Constitution Island, E. A. M. : length, 14 90;
stretch, 37*75; wing, 1100; tail, 640; culmen measured from frontal
feathers, 1*15; from cere, -70; gape, 1*32; tarsus, 168; middle toe
and claw, 1*85.

129. Asio accipitrinus (Pallas). Short-eared Owl. Occa-
sional in spring and fall,

130. Strix nebulosa (Forster). Barred Owl. A permanent
resident; breeds. Its notes may sometimes be heard during day-time.

i>ime?isj'07is.— Measurements of No. 1,328, $ ad. October 23, 1876,
Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 19*25; stretch, 44-75; wing,
12*00; tail, 8*88.

131. Nyctea scandiaca (Linne). Snowy Owl. Occasional in
winter. One was captured in Orange County, about January 20, 1877.
Has been reported from numerous points along the Hudson as far up
as Fort Edward, in Washington County.

I saw this splendid Owl in the wild state on the 29th of October,
1880, near Garden City, on Long Island, N. Y. It flew from near the
railroad : watching it from the car, I saw it alight on the ground
amongst some sandy knolls, covered with red bunch-grass. On arriv-

122

ing at the nearest station, I started back, for the purpose of shooting
it, but was disappointed in not finding it where it was seen from the
train. It was found, however, about a mile farther east, surrounded
by Crows {Corvus americanus), upon a sandy spot, where it looked
like a patch of snow, in the midst of its black tormentors. The Crows
scattered as I approached, and the Owl also flew slowly off, keeping
just above the grass. It was followed by a part of the Crows, and
soon lighted amongst the tussocks of grass. I crept up to within range,
and shot it with No. 4 shot, and gave the hindermost of the retreating
Crows the benefit of the left barrel, which was loaded with Bs. The
Owl was not dead when I reached it, but made a fine display of courage
when caught. Its eyes were wonderfully bright and full of fire ; and
it snapped its bill, and clawed fiercely ; I offered it an empty shell,
when reloading, which it seized and bit viciously. It uttered a squeal-
ing and also a grunting noise.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 815, ^ ad. December 1, 1875
(shot on the south side of Long Island, N. Y., by Wm. Birch) : length,
23-50; stretch, 58*31; wing, 14-75; tail, 9-38. Its stomach was dis-
tended with feathers. Measurements of No. 2,108, J' ad. October 29,
1880, Garden City, Long Island, E. A. M. : length, 22 85: stretch, 59-00;
wing, 15-75; tail, 9-50; culmen, measured from frontal feathers, 1-53;
from cere, 1-00; gape, 1-98; tarsus (about), 1-90; claw of the middle
toe, 1-18. Stomach entirely empty.

Family, FALCONID^.

132. Circus hudsonitlS (Linne). Marsh Hawk. A permanent
resident ; breeds. It occurs regularly in winter ; particularly numerous
in that of 1874-75, when numbers were observed in the bluish plum-
age. It breeds upon the marshes which connect Constitution, Consook
and lona islands to the main-land. One nest on Consook Marsh, which
had been recently deserted by the young, was placed in the middle of
the marsh ; the ground around it was packed hard, and was bare of
grass.

133. Accipiter fuscus (Gmelin). Sharp-shinned Hawk. A
permanent resident: breeds.

Next to the Broad-winged, this is our most abundant Hawk. It
builds upon trees, for the most part, though some nests are placed on
ledges of rocks. During the spring movement, this species sometimes
migrates in large flocks.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of three males : length, 11-45;
stretch, 21'00; wing, 6-60; tail, 5*37 ; gape, '65; tarsus, 196; middle
toe, 1-19. Measurements of female: length, 14*00; stretch, 25-75;
wing, 7-70; tail, 6-65; tarsus, 2-11.

123

134. Accipiter cooperi (^Bonaparte). Cooper's Hawk. A sum-
mer resident. Probably occurs in winter. Breeds abundantly.

I found a nest May 10, 1876, and fired a charge of dust shot into it
to make it certain whether the nest was occupied, or not; the parent
bird flew swiftly away, and, though I waited a long time for its return,
it did not come back. Visiting the nest another time, I shouted and
made as much din as possible about the tree; after a while the bird
arose and looked over the edge of the nest, and then resumed its place
upon it; a moment later it flew swiftly away. I fired after it, and the
shot took efiect in its breast and head ; stretching its legs away down,
and raising its wings high and beating them swiftly, it moved slowly
in a wide circle, very high in the air; it came around above the nest,
and then dropped just at my feet. Although not very severely injured,
it made no display of courage. The nest, built in the quadruple fork
of a chestnut-tree at a height of about forty feet, was composed of
sticks, all of which were of small size ; there was not a feather in it,
and no pretence of alining, save a few pieces of white-oak bark; its
depression was slight. The eggs, four in number, were quite fresh:
white, with a strong greenish tinge, with a few brown blotches on two
of them.

A nest found May 2, 1878, was built in a bass wood-tree {Tilia amer-
icand), beside a swampy pool in the midst of a wood. When ap-
proached, the female left her nest, and alighted on the opposite side of
the morass ; she was joined by her mate, and both set up a singular
barking cry, repeated in rapid succession, and resembling, as much as
anything, the prolonged utterance of the Flicker (Colaptes anratus).
Then the male approached, and, circling overhead, lit on a tree near
the nest, but soon retreated to the opposite side of the pool ; both
birds continuing their singular cry. The male bird was shot as he
soared overhead, and his mate withdrew, and did not return that day.
The nest was somewhat bulky, and contained four eggs. It was
rather more concave than usual ; built of small sticks, lined with a
few pieces of rough bark, with no additional materials. The eggs
differed from those previously described only in having no spots, which
latter are unusual.

One nest contained only three eggs.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 1,226, $ ad., May 10, 1876,
Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 19-75; stretch, 35-00; wing,
10-13; tail, 8-75.

135. Astur atricapillus {Wilson). American Goshawk. A
winter resident, and spring and fall migrant. Seen in spring as late
as April 28 (1877).

The Goshawk is rather frequently met with ; but, owing to its shy-
ness, is rarely killed I obtained a single specimen from the Catskil.

124

mountains; and Mr. "Wni. Church Osborn procured one at Garrisons,
on the Hudson. Miss Anna B. Warner obtained a fine adult male on
Constitution Island, on December 27, 1880. The gunners occasionally
kill one. It likes to stay about the river marshes in >Yinter.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 2,005, ? juv. December 2, 1879,
Catskill mountains, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 23-75; stretch, 4425;
wing, 13-10; tail, 11-00; culmen, -90; gape, 1-40; tarsus, 2-88; middle
toe, 1-81; its claw, -77. Measurements of No. 2,170, $ ad., December
27, 1880, Constitution Island, Hudson River, N. Y., E. A. M. : length,
21-50; stretch, 41-50; wing, 12-50; tail, 9-50; tail, 9-50; culmen,
measured from frontal feathers, 1-12; from cere, -83; cere; -40; gape,
1-25; tarsus, 2-88; middle toe and claw, 2*23; middle toe alone, 1-75;
its claw, -67; hallux, -97; its claw, 1*08; inner toe, 1*00; its claw,
1-00; outer toe, 1-12; its claw, 53. Iris, bright carmine.

136. Falcoperegrinusnsevius (6^me?i«)- Duck Hawk; Ameri-
can Peregrine Falcon. A permanent resident; breeds.

I saw a fine mounted specimen in the possession of Mr. Daniel
Ward, of Cornwall, which was shot while sitting upon a willow-tree
in front of his residence, beside the Hudson. I have seen it frequently,
but, chiefly through lack of skill in the use of the gun, have killed no
specimens in the Highlands, though I procured one on the beach oppo-
site Sayville, on Great South Bay, Long Island, on the 6th of Octo-
ber, 1880. There were several Duck Hawks on the beach, preying on
small birds. The specimen shot had been feeding upon various
passerine birds, which had first been roughly picked, and swallowed
in large pieces; Whole legs of the Robin, Alice's Thrush, Catbird?
and Warblers were found in its crop.

Upon the cliffs between West Point and Cornwall, the young are
sometimes seen or heard ; but the nest has not been found, and would
probably prove to be inaccessible should it be discovered.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 2,100, ? juv. October 6, 1880,
Sayville, Long Island, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 19-40; stretch, 45-50;
wing, 14-00; tail, 8-25; culmen from frontal feathers, 1-09; from cere,
•85; cere alone, -30; bill from nostril, -81; gape, 1-85; tarsus, 2-23;
middle toe and claw, 2-78; toe alone, 2-15; claw, -75.

137. .fflsalon columbarius {Linn!'). Pigeon Hawk. By no
means rare in autumn, winter and spring. My only specimen taken
in the Highlands was shot in the act of destroying a hen.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 2,085, $ juv. September 16,
1880, Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M. : length. 12-60; stretch, 26-40;
Wing, 8-25; tail, 5-75; bill, measured from frontal feathers, -72; from
cere, -59; from nostril, -54; gape, -85; tarsus, 1-57; middle toe, 1-45;
middle toe and its claw, 1-80; claw alone, -48.

138. Tinnunculus sparverius {Linne). Sparrow Hawk. A

125

rare resident species. Never abundant except occasionally during
migrations.

On February 18, 1879, Dr. Clinton L. Bagg saw a Sparrow Hawk at
the foot of 110th street, at the East River in New York City, where it
seemed to be chasing the House Sparrows {Passer domesticus). It
appeared to be in nowise frightened at the numerous workmen about
the docks, and flew about amongst them, and out over the river, fre-
quently perching on some iron pillars on shore.

Dimensions. — Measurements of No. 1,355, ^ ad. April 25, 1877,
Highland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M. : length, 10-42; stretch, 22-38; wing,
7-37; tail, 4-85; culraen, measured from cere, -45; gape, .70; tarsus,
1-40; middle toe and claw, 1-21.

139. Buteo borealis (G^weZin). Red-tailed Hawk. A perma-
nent resident; abundant; breeds.

This handsome Buzzard feeds on mice, moles and shrews, which it
finds in meadows. Though it likes to sit on a hay-pole and swoop
down upon such small fry, it is often quite formidable, carrying off
fowls from the barn-yards. It is able to capture even the Ruffed
Grouse (Bonasa innhellus). I once saw a Red-tail fly a quarter of a
mile, bearing a full grown Ruffed Grouse in its claws. I followed, and
fired a shot at it, which caused it to let its prey drop to the ground
from the tree where it was feeding ; it afterwards appeared to regret
leaving the Grouse, which was quite neatly picked, and had one side
of the breast partly eaten.

Mice, shrews and moles are especially abundant upon the salt
marshes which join numerous so-called islands in the Hudson River to
the main-land. Upon the edges of these marshes and on the hay-poles,
our three Buzzard Hawks {Buteo boreaJis, B. lineatus and B. pennsyl-
vanicus) are ever present during the hard times in winter, hungry and
shy, and ever ready to pounce upon the first unlucky quadruped that
makes its appearance on the scene. It is pleasant to see them swoop
upwards from the ground and alight upon a haystack, closing their
wings instantly as their strong claws grasp the top of the pole, and
striking at once a perfect balance, without a wing-stroke or a sudden
movement.

Dimensions. — Measurements of adult female : length, 21-90; stretch,
51-00; wing, 14-75; tail, 9-00; culmen, 1-07; cere, -54; gape, 180;
tarsus, 3-34; middle toe, 160; its claw, -88.

140. Buteo lineatus (Gmelin). Red-shouldered Hawk. A
permanent resident; abundant; breeds.

141. Buteo pennsylvanicus (iriVson). Broad-winged Hawk.
Our most abundant Hawk. A permanent resident, but only occasional
in winter; breeds.

Migrants begin coming early in March, and, ere long, large flocks

126

appear, flying swiftly overhead, or soaring circularly. On wing, it
gives several screams uttered in rapid succession, followed by a squeal-
ing note. It feeds on small quadrupeds, and salamanders. None of
the numerous specimens dissected contained feathers, or other evi-
dence of its feeding on birds.

In the spring of 1871, a nest was built in the wood adjoining ray
house, from which I took one of the young birds; it became a very
interesting pet, quite gentle, and foad of me, but refusing to submit
to being handled by any one else; but it was prone to wander abroad,
a.nd so was lost.

On May 8, 1872, I shot a male Broad-winged Hawk upon its nest,
wounding it badly. It clawed me severely when I attempted to cap-
ture it. The nest was simply a repaired Crow's nest, from which I
had taken a suite of eggs the year previously. The eggs, as in every
nest that I have seen, were two in number. I shot the female several
days later, and found it to be in immature plumage, although mated
with an old bird. During the same season, another pair built a nest
in the same wood, but both birds were shot before the eggs were
laid. This nest became the home of still another pair of Broad-wings
on the following season. They laid only two eggs, which were re-
markable for being almost unspotted. When I climbed to the nest,
the male bird flew to a branch over it, uttering loud, squealing cries,
and thence darted swiftly past me, in uncomfortably close proximity
to my head, so that I could feel the rush of air when he passed ; then,
perching above me again, he would lower his head, partly spread his
wings, and incline his body downwards, uttering a whining whistle as
he prepared to make another swoop. He looked very formidable. I
heartily wished myself at the bottom of the tree. Only when I had
reached the nest did the female leave it; then she merely withdrew
to an adjoining limb, and replaced herself upon the nest as soon as I
began to descend. Then the anxiety of the male (greatly to my
delight) appeared to be much lessened. I left the eggs, hoping that
more would be deposited, but in this I was disappointed. Several
days later, I took the eggs, and found embryos considerably devel-
oped.

This Hawk commonly selects a deserted Crow's nest to build upon ;
but I have known them, several times, to build a new nest. I have
twice found immature birds breeding, in which the stripes covered
the belly.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of two adult males: length,
15-85; stretch, 35-85; wing, 10-58; tail, 6-65; culmen, measured from
cere, '74; cere, -48; tarsus, 2-50; middle toe, 1-33; middle toe and
claw, 1-84; claw alone, 'Q5. Average of three achiU females : length,
17-08; stretch, 37-65; wing, 11-75; tail, 7-03; culmen, measured from

127

cere, '77; cere, -50: tarsus, 2-7o; middle toe and claw, 1-90; claw
alone, -64. Average of two young males: length, 15-93; stretch,
35-62; wing, 10*78: tail, 6-85; culmen measured from cere, -68; cere,
•45; gape, 1-20; tarsus, 2*35; middle toe and claw, 1-70; toe alone,
1-18; claw, -58 Average of two young females : length, 16-45; stretch,
36-69; wing, 11-08; tail, 7-15; culmen measured from frontal feathers,
1-12; from cere, -77; bill from nostril, -72; gape, 1-37; tarsus, 2 43;
middle toe and claw, 1-83; middle toe, 1 33.

142. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis {Gmelin). Amer-
ican Rough-legged Hawk, Occurs rarely during migrations. I
have also found it at Fort Miller, on the Hudson, in November, 1876.

143. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmelin). American
OsPREY; Fisii Hawk. A common spring and fall migrant; occasional
during summer. Its nest was found upon the cliffs north of West
Point, many years ago. A few years since, Mr. Harold Herrick found
a nest near Yonkers, on the Hudson, which contained eggs.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of four specimens: length,
2310; stretch, 64-00; wing, 18-25; tail, 8-40.

144. Aquila chrysaetus canadensis {Linne). American
Golden Eagle. Occasionally observed during spring, autumn and
Winter. It was formerly known to nest upon the cliffs on the west
side of the Hudson, north of West Point; and it is not impossible
that it still does so. Two Golden Eagles have been shot in the High-
lands during the past few years. I have seen it on several occasions,
but never in summer. In March, 1876, two of these Eagles were
found in a certain spot in Putnam County for several weeks, but I did
not succeed in shooting them. In April, 1872, I saw one twice, whose
tail was all white, save a narrow terminal bar of black.

145. Haliaetus leucocephalus {Linne). White-headed Ea-
gle. A permanent resident ; breeds.

The White-headed or Bald Eagle constitutes a marked and roman-
tic feature of the superb scenery of this part of the Hudson, lending
another charm to a scene already grand and impressive, but rendered
sublime and awe-inspiring by the presence of this noble bird, seen
perched upon some blasted tree above the massive cliffs, or soaring
in higher atmospheric regions, far above reach of the coming tem-
pest, while its shrill scream falls faintly upon the ear, answering the
loud, quavering cry of its nearer mate.

In winter, when the river is frozen, the Eagles are seen soaring
above the mountains, searching for the scanty prey upon which they
are obliged to subsist when fish, their favorite food, is unattainable;
but later, when the ice is in motion in the Hudson, carried swiftly by
the current, numbers of them may be seen sitting in pairs upon trees
low down by the river's edge, watching for their finny prey, or else

128

floating upon the ice in the stream, in company with Crows and Gulls.
In summer, their favorite perch is upon some withered tree on the
mountain's side, from which, at intervals, they descend to the river,
or some secluded lake, to seek their food. When the ice first breaks
up in the Hudson, the Eagles are sometimes extremely abundant. At
that season I have counted more than twenty-five that were in view
at once.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of two adult males : length,
32-85; stretch, 84-10; wing, 22-00; tail, 11-90; bill from frontal feath-
ers, 2-48; cere, -74; gape, 2-77; tarsus, 3-50; middle toe, 2-72; its
claw, 1'37; inner toe, 1-66; its claw, 1-62; outer toe, ISG; its claw,
1-17; hallux, 1-53; its claw, 1-69. Weight, 10 lbs., 4 oz., avoir.
Average measurements of two adult females : length, 35-50; stretch,
89-00; wing, 24-00; tail, 12-25. Weight, 12 lbs., avoir.

Family, COLUMBIDiE.

146. Ectopistes migratoria (Zm?ie). Passenger Pigeon. A
permanent resident. A few breed ; and a few occur in winter.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of five adult males: length,
16-67; stretch, 24-30; wing, 7-88; tail, 780; culmen, -72; gape, M2;
tarsus, 1-14; middle toe, 1-16; its claw, -37; middle toe and claw,
1-50. Average measurements of five adult females: length, 15-92;
stretch, 23-96: wing, 7*76; tail, 7-27; culmen, -70; gape, 1*06; tarsus,
1-07; middle toe, 1-09; its claw, -35.

147. Zensedura carolinensis {Linne). Mourning Dove; Car-
olina Dove. A permanent resident ; breeds. Only occasional in
winter.

Dimensions. — Average measurements of five specimens: length,
11-85; stretch, 17-90; wing, 5*72; tail, 5-50; culmen, '53; bill from
nostril, -36; gape, -76; tarsus, -86 ; middle toe, -80; its claw, -24;
middle toe and claw, 1-00.

Family, TETRAONID^.

148. Bonasa umbellus (ii'n?i^). Ruffed Grouse; Pheasant;
Partridge. An abundant resident species ; breeds.

Family, PerdicidsB.

149. Ortyx virginiana (Li;i?ie). American Quail; Bob-white.
A permanent resident; breeds.

/ ^

BULLETIN

:E]SSE2^ IlSrSTZTTJTE]

Vol. 12. Salem, Oct., Nov., Dec, 1880. Xos. 10, 11, 12.

Regular ^^Ieetixg, Monday, July 5, 1880.

Adjourned to Thursday, July 8. President \\\ the
chiiir. Records read. Correspondence and donations an-
nounced.

Rev. G. M. Harmon, of Pcabody, was elected a resi-
dent memljcr.
Adj.

Regular ^Meeting, ]\Ionday, July 19, 1880.

Meeting this day at 7.30 r. m. The President in the
chair. Records read. Correspondence and donations
announced.

B. O. Pierce, of Beverly, and Ira J. Potter, of Ips-
Avich, were elected resident members.
Adj.

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XII. 9

ACc^r.

7,/iif

130

Field Meeting at Bradford, Friday, July 30, 1880.

By the polite invitation of Dr. Georo'e Cosfswell of
Brndfoi'd, an associate ]neml)ei" of the Institute, a meeting
was held at the Riverside Farm, in that town, this day.
The vreather was remarkal)ly line, and the attendance
large. The Farmers' and Mechanics' Institute of Haver-
hill and Bradford joined in the exercises of this inter-
esting occasion. The members and their friends from
Salem and vicinit}- left the Eastern railroad station at 8.15
a. :\r., in a special train for Danvers, thence by the Bos-
ton & ]Maine railroad to Bradford, arriving at 9.30 a. m.
Barges and other vehicles were in readiness td take the
party, some two or three miles above the village, to the
grounds of Dr. Cogswell, which are situated very attrac-
tively upon a bend in the Merrimac river, and consists of
several hundred acres. From the house is an extensive
view of the river with its interesting traditions and lovely
scenery. The city of IlaverhilLbeing built upon a gentle
acclivity, the houses and other buildings being inter-
spersed with trees, gives an additional charm to the pros-
jDcct. A short drive beyond the house brought the party
to a large gi-ove, where the tables for the lunch were
placed, and which was the headquarters for the forenoon.

As the dinnei' hour approached, the ramblers who had
wandered hither a.nd thither, about the woods and on the
banks of the river in search of specimens, returned, and
lively groups gathered around the tables.

THE BRADFORD ACADEMY

is the venerable, highly esteemed, ar,d cherisliecl in-
f^titution of this town, and has its origin and outgrowth
in the deep interest among the parents in mental and

131

moral culture, and a desire that female education especially
should be adv:inccd ; the privileges, that the children to-
day enjoy, did not then exist. Incorporated in 1803, a
building was erected, and the preceptor elected was Rev.
Samuel Walker, a native of Haverhill, a graduate of
Dart. Coll., 1802, and the minister of the South Church,
Danvers, now Pea])ody, from 1805 to his death, July 6,
1826. Hev. 'James Flint, who was the j)astor of the East
Church, Salem, from 1820 to his death, March 4, 1855,
was the third principal.

Benjamin Greenleaf was the fourth principal, from
Dec. 12, 1814 to April 6, 1836. During this period, it
obtained a wide and most honorable reputation. In
1828, the school was divided into a male and female
department, ]Mr. Greenleat h;id charge of the former,
and Miss Abigail C. Ilasseltine of the latter.

In 1836, Mr. Greenleaf retired. The male department
was then closed, and the Institution was devoted entirely
to the education of females. ^Ir. Greenleaf then took
charge of the Bradford Teachers' Seminary, and continued
at its head till its discontinuance in 1848, when his pro-
fessional laljors as a teacher closed. As an author, he was
very widely, eminently, and honorabl}' known ; while the
number of his pupils went up into the thousands, the
number of copies of his text-books went up into the
millions; he died Oct. 29, 1864.

Miss Abigail Oadeion Ilasseltine, born in Bradford,
March 15, 1788, a graduate of the school, appointed as-
sistant teacher in the summer of 1815, principal of the
female department in 1828, r(4ired in the autumn of
1852, died January 13, 1868, — the beloved teacher and
friend, and whose name is cherished in thousands of homes
to-day, — contributed largely to the success of the In-
stitution.

132

This Academy has done much in sending out an educated
influence in domestic and social life, in waj's that cannot
be tangibly measured. It was in this school that Ann
Hasseltine and Harriet Atwood were educated. The first
was the youngest sister of the principal above named ;
she was brilliant and gifted, and married Rev. Adoniram
Judson, who was ordained at the Tabernacle Church in
Salem in 1812, and sailed with his wife immediately
afterwards to Calcutta. She was a remarkable w^oman,
passed through many trials and exciting experiences, and
wrote a history of the Burmah mission ; she died
at Burmah, Oct. 24, 1826. TJie second married Rev.
Samuel Newell, who was ordained as a missionary at
the same time with Rev. Mr. Judson, and v/ent to Cey-
lon. She died 30 Nov., 1812.

Honorable mention might be made of other teachers
and other graduates, who have done good service in the
work which they have respectively undertaken.

The present building, in the midst of ample grounds
beautifully laid out, is in striking contrast with the
huml)le wooden edifice, first erected for this now flour-
ishing institution. It measures 216 feet front line, 127
feet from front to rear ; four stories above the basement ;
built of brick with underpinnings and facings of granite.
The entire building is heated by steam, lighted by gas,
and has all the modern appointments. On Thursday,
June 16, 1870, a very pleasant meeting w^as held in Brad-
ford, the afternoon session being in the hall of this build-
ing, then recently erected and opened for the reception of
pupils.

HANNAH DUSTON MONUMENT IN HAVERHILL.

During the day, several of the party visited the Hav-
erhill Public Library, and the monument erected in

133

Haverhill to the memory of Hannah Diiston, who in 1697
was seized and carried avray by the Indians, and who then
performed the wonderful exploit of putting her captors to
death, for which act the General Court made substantial
acknowledojment of her bravery.

This beautiful monument was erected upon the spot
set apart as a public park, by the people in the early his-
tory of the town, and was unveiled with suitable cere-
monies on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 1879, and presented to the
city by Hon. E. J. M. Hale.

The pedestal is of granite and the statue is of bronze,
() feet high, and the entire height is 15 feet. The bronze
reliefs are each 2 feet 3 inches by 1 foot 6 inches, and
represent : Firsts her capture ; second^ escape of her
children; tJiird, sla^^ing of her captors and her escape;
and fourth^ her return. The ideal statue was designed
by Mr. C. Weeks of Haverhill, and the casting was made
at Chicopee, Mass. ; the base was cut by JNIr. Weeks, who
put the whole structure in position.

Haverhill for seventy' years was a frontier town, and
its early history tells of many cases of savage cruelty per-
petrated l)y the Indians upon its first settlers. The name
of Hannah Duston will ever stand prominent in the annals
of the town.

HAVERHILL PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Hon. E. J. i\L Hale (the gentleman Vvdio gave to the
city the Hannah Duston monument, previously men-
tioned), desirous of having a Public Library in his native
city, submitted January 29, 1873, a proposition to the
city government of Haverhill.

That His Honor, the Mayor, appoint six persons as
Trustees for life, and the vacancies to be filled by the
remaining Trustees, to receive all funds and administer

134

the same for the purposes of the proposed library. That
within six months to give a certain specified lot of
land to the Trustees, and $30,000 on condition that a
further sum of $30,000 be raised and paid to the said
Trustees for the uses and purposes aforesaid, and that the
city government in accepting these funds shall assume
and bear the current expenses of library, grounds, and
appurtenances, nStev the building shall have been com-
pleted and furnished. The city chose six Ti'ustees, Aug.
1, 1873, and accepted the proposals Nov. 17, 1873. The
building was accepted and occupied in May, 1875, dedi-
cated Nov. 11, 1875, and opened for public use the fol-
lowino^ week.

The buildins: is 72 feet front on Summer street and ex-
tends back 55 feet. Heiofht of different stories as fol-
lows: Basement, 12 feet;Jirst story, 16 feet; second,
20 feet. Cost of building and furnishing $49,543.32;
books purchased $16,528 ; making the total cost, including
binding, moving, etc., $67,711.78; to this is to be added
the valuation of the land $12,000, making the value of the
whole property $79,711.78.

The whole number of volumes in the library Jamiary 1,
1880, was 29,235 ; additions, during the year 1879, 2,411.
Trustees, E. J. M. Hale, James H. Carlton, James E.
Gale, R. Stuart Chase, John L. Hobson, John Crowell.
Librarian, Edward Capen.

AFTEnNOON SESSION.

The afternoon session was held on the floor of the large
barn extemporized for the occasion into a lecture room ;
as the large doors swung open, row after row of settees
appeared in the foreground, and beyond, in the rear of
the speaker's table, framed in the open doorway a beau-
tiful piece of landscape. The fragrant hay mow was

135

speedily transformed into a balcony where young and old
gathered to listen. The meeting was called to order at
2.30 p. M. The President in the chair, records of the
preceding meeting were read by the Secretar}^ The
President congratidated the Institute, that, under such
favorable auspices, another tield day is held in this good
old town and with so large an attendance. He then briefly
alluded to the previous meetings held in this and the ad-
joining town of Groveland, which was known as the
East Parish of Bradford, when the first meeting was held
in that place. He spoke of the early explorations of the
J\lerrimac river, particularly the one under the direction
of Simon "Willard and Edward Johnson, connnissioners,
in 1652, John Sherman and Jonathan Ince the surveyors,
to ascertain the nortliern boundary of the colony of the
jMassachusetts Bay, as stated in the charter, three miles
north of the northernmost point of the Merrimac river.
This was a mooted question for m:uiy ^ears, and it was
not finally adjusted until the appointment of a commis-
sioner in 1737, who determined that the northern boun-
cLuy of the Massachusetts line should be a line three
miles from the mouth of the river at Xewburyport, thence
parallel with the river as far as the Pawlucket Ealls,
thence west to the New York line. In 1 740, His Maj-
cst}^ by the concurrence of the council, adjudged and
ordered this line as the northern boundary. lie then
called ui")on Dr. Georijfe Coirswell, the host, who had C'cn-
erously and handsomely provided so many good and
pleasant thinij^s for this meetino-.

Dr. Cogswell spoke of the pleasure he experienced
in welcoming the members of the two societies to his
farm, and said that he was thoroughly in accord with the
objects and aims of such meetings as this. He also

136

referred to the former men of Essex county whose in-
fluence was still felt in this community, and to the pride
he felt in the scientilic and educational interests of the
county. He closed by introducing

Rev. Mr. Kingsbury of Bradford, who continued in
the same general strain, eulogizing the work and objects
of the Institute and welcoming the society to Bradford.

Prof. E. S. Morse, of Salem, followed, selecting as
his theme, the Pelojpoeus (the mud wasp), now l)uilding
its earthen cells and plastering them on old rafters and
stone walls. He described its habits, exhibited specimens
of its cells and illustrated the same with blackboard
drawings ; he also alluded to the barn swallows {Hiriindo
Jiorreorum) ^ having built their nests on the beams of the
barn, and many specimens were noticed fl3ing around.
Later in the meeting, he gave some of his impressions of
the Japanese as a people.

Other remarks were made by Mr. J. D. Tewksbury of
Bradford, Prof. Hall of the University of Minnesota,
Mr. Fish of the Salem Summer School, Mr. John W.
Perkins of the Salem High School, and Mr. Emery of
Lawrence.

Mr. John Robinson, of Salem, offered a vote of
thanks to Dr. Cogswell and his family for the numerous
courtesies and hospitality extended to the members and
their fi lends. The meeting adjourned.

Barges and private carriages convej^ed the party to the
station, and thus ended a day of instruction and pleasure ;
and the participants will long remember the very delightful
day at Riverside Farm.

137

Field Meeting at Lowell Island, Thursday,
August 12, 1880.

The third field meeting of the season was held this day at
Lowell Island, near the entrance to jMarblehead harbor.
The steamboat, "White Fawn," left Phillips wharf at 9
and at 11 a. m., to convey the members and their friends
to the island.

As usual, the party separated npon arrival, each to
choose his own method of enjoyment. Some made for
the bold, rocky points ; sonie tried "hick" at fishing-; and
those interested in the pursuit of natural history found in
the rocks, or on the beaches, or with a dredge and line
from a boat, many specimens to occupy their attention.

Catta, afterwards Catt or Cat, and now Lowell Isl-
and, lies about four miles in a southeasterly direction
from the City Hall in Salem, to which municipabty it
belongs, although somewhat nearer in position to Marble-
head. From Gerry Island, at the mouth of xMarl)lehead
harbor, it lies due cast and is about one mile distant.
It is thought to have been heavily wooded before the set-
tlement. "As we passed along," says Higginson, of the
harbor, June 29, 1629, "it was wonderful to l)eh()uld so
many islands replenished with thitke woods and high
trees." In 1738-9, "woods" are mentioned on it, and
the tradition is, that it was finally denuded at the
Revolution to afford British cruisers a more unbroken
view into the harbor. During the operation of the Bos-
ton Port Bill and the British occupation of Boston,
coasters were searched at Marblehead, and sent on v/ith
an officer on board, to Boston. Feb. 9, 1775, His Maj-
esty's ship Lively, 20 guns, arrived at Marblehead harbor
and anchored off the fort. May 31, she sailed for
Boston, and her place was taken by the sloop-of-war

138

Merlin. January 7, 1776, a contemporary private jour-
nal says, "Trees on Cat Island cut down last night —
supposed by the Merlin."

Its shores are for the most part steep and rock}^ ; its
average elevation of surface being perhaps twenty or
twenty-five feet. It is at present without a tree or shrub,
and fommands an uninterrupted view towards the ocean,
which is unsurpassed, as well as on the land side, the
green slopes of the Xorth Shore, Salem Xeck, and Xaugus
Head.

The first mention vre find of the island is contained in
the Colonial Records for 1655.^ It was then ijranted to
Governor Endicott on his own request. May 23, and is
there described as ^'tlie Hand called Calta lland^ being
about a two acres, lijing iieere to Marble Ilead.^^ In point
of fact, it has an area of about sixteen acres of upland.
Felt, following Dr. Bcntley, who seems to have been in
error, slates the area at "al)out nine acres." Dr. Bentley
wrote in his Descri[)tion of Salem in 1800, "the extent
of the soil is 2,167 links, about N. W. and S. E. ; but
the rocks being included, the island is above 28 chains.
At the northw^est end is a high beach which forms a point
directly opposite Marblehead. The shore is irregular
and rocky. There are springs on the S. E. end which
terminates in a high, rocky head."

Gov. Jolm Endicott,^ in a Vv'ill which took effect upon
his death in 1665, left the island to his wife for life, and
aftei', to his "two sons John and Zerobabel, or the
longest liver of them." John died first without issue,
and Zerobabel on his decease, 1684, gave the island to
his fiv^e daughters.

1 See Colonial Records of Maspai'huf ctts, Vol. Ill, p. 3S3. 2 Gov. John Endicott
died March 25, 1W)5. See " The Endicott Family," by C. M. Endicott, X. E. Hist.
Gen. Reg., ^'ol. I. p. 335.

139

From the Eiiclicott family it passed through Samuel, a
grandson of Zerobabel, by deed March 4, 1687-8,'^ to
Richard Reed of Marblehead, and in this family, always
cons[)icuous in the affairs of that town, the title remained
for many years. On March 25, 1732, it came into the
hands of Samuel Reed,^ by virtue of an indenture of par-
tition executed by the children of the late Samuel Reed,
his father, and by Ebenezer Lowell, w^ho married a
daughter, and from him, after being mortgaged Feb. 20,
1738-9,^ to "the Honorable James Bowdoin of Boston,
Esquire" (afterwards the successor of John Hancock as
governor of the Commonwealth), as " Catt Island to-
gether with the House and Woods thereon," the prop-
erty passed in equal parts, Feb. 12, 1746-7,^ to "Joseph
Willson, Gentleman, and John Oliver, Victualler," both
of Maiden, in the county of Middlesex. In this and
subsequent conveyances, mention is made of the house
but not of the woods, and since several of these con-
ve}'ances are made to inn-holders of Maiden, Charles-
'town and ^larblehead, it is a fair presumption that the very
considerable value attaching at this time to Catt Island
Avas due to its being occupied as a place of pu])lic enter-
tainment. September 2, 1773, the property passed in
equal shares to Elbridge Gerry (afterwards Governor and
Vice President), Col. Azor Orne, Captain (afterwards
Gen'l) John Glover, and Jonathan Glover, Esq.,^ all of

3 Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. XII, fol. 168. * Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. CXV, fol. 103,
also vol. LXI, lol. 156-8. ^ Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. LXXVIII, fol. 121. e Essex
Reg. Deeds, vol. XCllI, fol. 16, and vol. XCVIII, fol. 30.

^Honoved names in Marblehead. Hon. Col. Azor Orne, son of Joshua and
Sarah (Gale) Orne, b. in Marbleliead, July 22, 1731, d. at Boston, June 6, 1796. He
was a descendant trom Deacon John Orne of the 1st church in Salem, who died at
an advanced age in 1681.

Elbridge Gerry, son of Thomas Gerry, born in Marblehead, July 14, 1744, died in
Washington, Xov. 13, 1S14, in tl;e office of Vice President of U. S. A.

140

Marblehead, pro'ectors of the Essex Hospital for inocu-
lation with the small-pox. After the faiUire of this enter-
prise, the isUmd passed by various conveyances between
1795 and 1816, to members of the Fettyplace family of
Marblehead, and from them, through "William Fettyplace
of Salem and East Boston, who became the owner o the
whole estate, to John Round}^ of Marblehead,^ Nov. 2,
1846, who sold, Feb. 11, 1848, to Nathaniel R. Blaney
of iSIarblehead,^ the island "with all the buildings thereon,"
and he in turn to David Blaney of Marblehead, ^'^ January
30, 1849, who conveyed the property, June 11, 1851, to
Stephen C. Phillips of Salem.^i January 16, 1852, the
title passed to the Salem Steamboat Company ,^^ a corpo-
ration created by act of May 23, 1851, and authorized
"to purchase, build, charter, or otherwise hold and employ,
a steamboat to be cmplo^^ed in and about the harbor of
Salem." The Essex Railroad was incorporated jMarch 7,
1846, and opened to Phillips' (formerly Crowninshield's)
wharf, July 2, 1849. A commodious hotel was erected
on the island, now first called Lowell Island, which was
opened to the public, June 21, 1852, and the passenger
steamer "Argo," plied between the island and Phillips'
wharf. July 10, 1857, the Steamboat Company sold to
Gorham A. Pollard of Lowell, ^^ wdio made an effort to have
the island known as Pollard's Island ; and, fi'om him,
through several conveyances, the property passed to the
present proprietor, Samuel B. Rindge^"* of Cambridge.

The Brothers Jonathan & John Glover, sons of Jonathan & Tahitha (Bacon)
Glover, of Salcra, removed in early life to Marblehead, & for many years held vari-
ous offices of honor & trust. Jonathan was born June l.'>, 1731, John, Nov. ">. 1732;
a Brigadier General in the army of the Revolution ; died at JIarblehead, 30 Jan'y,
1707. Essex Keg. Deeds, vol. CXXXII, fol. 178. s Essex Reg. Deeds, vol.
CCCLXXni, fol. 291. 9 Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. CCCXCIII, fol. 214. lo Essex Reg.
Deeds, vol. CCCCXII, fol. 245. "Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. CCCCXLVI, fol. 155.
J2Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. CCCCLV, fol. 206. i3 Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. DLV, fol.
14G. " Essex Reg. Deeds, vol. DCCCCXCI, fol. 131.

141

It would be very satisfactoiy, if the uiiccrtriinty hang-
ing about the name of this ishmcl, in common Avith others
near it, could be removed. When it was first called Cat
Island none of the authorities tell us ; but they assume
to tell us why it was called Cat Island. The accepted
explanation seems to be that '' Cat " is a corruption or
contraction, and that the island was in some way con-
nected with Robert Cotta, from whom it derived its sin-
gular appellation. There is no evidence that Cotta ever
owned or occupied the island, nor does he seem to have
been a person of special repute or standing, such as to
make it probable that the island would have belonged to
him or been named for him. He was made a "freeman"
May 6, 1635, and the Colonial Kecords spell his name
"Cotty." This is the first we know of him. Ralph Fogg's
Waste Book of the Quarter Courts, 1636-7, spells his n:imc
"Cotta." The terminal "a" in those days was doul)tles3
sounded like the "a" in "fate." In John Ilolgrave's
record of a Town Meeting, 14th, 6th mo., 1637, his
name is spelled "Cottie." In Roger Conant's list of
apportionments of marsh and meadow lands, made at a
general Town Meeting in 1640, his name a[)pears as
"Cotty." And so Gov. Endicott spells it, 11th, 8th mo.,
1640, but in his record of a meeting of the "seven men,"
12th mo., 1644, Gov. Endicott calls him "Cotta." In
1645, Robert "Cotta" gets £5 allowed him for a cow
out of funds provided by Mr. Andrews of London for
that purpose. And the records from 1647 to 1651 show
his name, in several instances, spelled "Cotta."

The first mention of the island, so far as we know,
occurs in the Massachusetts Colonial Records for 1655.
It was then grunted to Gov. Endicott, and had never
been previously granted to any other person. Gov.
Endicott died in 1665, leaving it by will, after the

142

decease of his vrife, to his two sons, or the longest liver
of them; and his son Zerohahel, the survivor, died in
1684, leavinir it to his own five d-uighters. From the
middle of the seventeenth century to its close, this island
remained in the Endicott fami]\\

If we knew so much and no more, we might readily
find a theory to account for the name, without having
recourse to Robert Cotta. If we were obliged to derive
the name "Cat" from the sound represented by " Cottie,"
or " Ct)tty," it would be more reasonable to seek its origin
in some possible diminutive or term of endearment which
might have been in use in the family named Endicott,
who owned the estate for many years, rather than to seek
it in the name of Robert Cotta, who was not, so far as we
know, in any manner nor at any time connected with Cat
Island.

But why indeed, if we knew nothing more, derive the
name ot the island, any more than the name of Cat Cove,
from any other source than the word "Cat?" Cat Island
was granted to John Endicott while he was governor, on
his own request. It must, therefore, have had a value.
For what purpose? Hardly for agriculture ; possibly for
its timber ; more probably [is a fishing station, or a station
for transport and freighting vessels on their way to
Boston. In this case, we might well have supposed that
it took its name, and perhaps Cat Cove as well, from the
craft called Cat, or Cat Boat, a vessel of Norwegian origin,
so numerous at one time in the Bay of Plymouth, Eng-
land, as to have given to part of that harbor the name of
Cat water.

Unfortunately, however, for all these hypotheses, a
close examination of the actual spelling of the early
records shows that they are all groundless, and remands
the conscientious antiquary to his original unccrtaint3^

143

The grant from the Colony to John Endicott, in lii55, is
to be seen at the State Honse. It describes the estate as
Catta Island. The will of John Endicott, dated on the
"2nd day of the 3d mo. called May" 1659, may be seen
at the Suffidk Registry of Probate ; so may an inventory
of his estate made alter his death in 1GG5; both these
describe the property as Catta Island. At the Essex
Registry of Probate, a contemporary copy of the will of
John Endicott, made ^lay 23, 1666, as well as the
original of the will of Zerobabel Endicott, the snrvivor
of his two sons, dated Nov. 23, 1683, and an official
copy of the same made in September, 1684, are on tile.
All these describe the island by the name of Catta.
Cat Cove had been called "Catt Cove" since 1638, when
Roger Conant had a house there. And R()I)ert Cotta,
Cotty, or Cottie, is never known to have indulged in that
delightful orthographic license which our ancestors cn-
jo3'ed, but which we have surrendered, to the extent of
writing his name with the letters Catta.

In a deed from an heir of the governor to Richard
Reed of Marblehead, dated Boston, March 10, 1687-8,
the island is conveyed and is described as being "com-
monly called and known by ye name of Catt Island." A
second inventory of Zerobabel's estate, dated March 4,
1696-7, also describes it as "Catt Island att the mouth
of ^Marblehead Harbor." Thus it seems clear that, N\hat-
ever was the origin of this singular designation, it attached
itself to the island before 1687 ; that it was an abbre-
viation of Catta, and not in any way associated with
Robert Cotta, nor with the daughters of Zerobabel Endi-
cott; whether with the Cat Boat, which m;iy have come
down to us from the Norsemen, — whether with I'dls
doviesi iccf, iho " harmless, necessary cat," we cannot de-
termine.

U4

Catta is :i Latin synonyme hvfelis, and Gov. Enclicolt,
who was enough of a Unguis • to peak French, was not
averse to interjecting a fo eign phrase now and then in
his manuscript records, a practice quite in accord with the
fashion of his times. INIoreover, the word Catta has
been used, the lexicographeis tell us, as the name of a
sea-craft, at least since A. D., 1071, and probably much
longer. How much the axa-orr of Herodotus and Pindar,
— the 'a-/.d-co> of Xenophon and Thucydides, in which
Plutarch saj's Csesar made his escape from Alexandria
and the wiles of Cleopatra — had to do with the origin of
this word for ^' boat," we must leave to conjecture.

A century later, this spot inspire! an interest somewhat
graver than questions of phi ology excite. 1773-4 was a
year of tumult. It was the 3'ear of the Boston Tea Party
and the Boston Port Bill. The people of this province
had lost confidence in the good faith of the only govern-
ment they had, and were not yet al)le to see their way to
the establishment of another. Lawless violence stalked
abroad, and societ}^ seemed, for the time, to be thrown
back upon its elemental forces. Week by week the feel-
inir about the im]:)ortati()n of tea 2:rew intenscr and
more threatening. The daily journals teemed with pro-
test and denunciation. Hutchinson's secret letters had
been sent home by Franklin and read in the assembly.
Accounts of burnings in effigy, and coats of tar and
feathers, were as frequent as are runawiiys and coasting
accidents to-da}'. In the midst of all this, as if to make
confu-ion worse confounded, the scourge of small-pox,
absent for man}' years, reappeared in Massachusetts Bay.
The terror which the loathsome disease inspired, and the
relief experienced from the ne^v mode of treatment by in-
oculation, are well indicated in the narrative of an inci-
dent in the history of Cat Island, which we transcribe

145

from the contemporary journals of the periocL Now that
vaccination has so nearly eliminated this from our list
of terrors, it is not easy to reproclnce the scene of panic
it created. Men shunned oue another : tradesmen could
with difficulty be persuaded to bring the necessaries of
life to market, and sacred family ties seemed unable at
times to bear a strain too areat for human nature. Daily
bulletins from Boards of Selectmen announced the lowest
number of cases which could from day to day be charged
against their respective precincts ; and to allay those hid-
eous suspicions which panic engenders in feverish times,
rewards were offered for evideuce to convict unknown
persons of maliciously spreading the contagion about the
streets.

The year 1773-4 was probabh^ the most crowded single
year in our local history. That year witnessed the last
session of the Provincial Assembly; the liist session of
the Provincial Congress ; one following close upon the
other in the Town House at Salem ;^'^ and in the midst
of this momentous session the first great fire in Salem
occurred, consuming the Tabernacle jNIeeting Plouse,^*
the Cnstom House, fourteen shops and eight dwellings,
besides injuring and greatly imperiling the Town House
itself. It was the same year in which Thomas Hutch-
inson quit the executive chair of the province for Eng-
land, and Thomas Gage, the first military governor,
succeeded him and established military headquarters,
with two companies of the 64th regiment of the line, at
the Collins Farm, in Danvers, whitening the Neck soon
after with the tents of the 69th regiment from Halifax.
Timothy Pickering was twenty-nine years of age, that

1* Which stood on the coiner of Essex and Wasliington streets, near the
southern parapet of the tunnel.

i« Which stood on Essex street, opposite Barton Square.

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XII. 10

146

year, and Elbridge Gerry, thirty. In that year Marble-
head was second in importance only to Boston among the
leading towns of Massachnsetts, — probably of New Eng-
land,— while Salem, fourth on the list by the census of
1765, the earliest census of which we have authentic data,
was behind her neighbor in gross population, as well as
in the number of houses and of families, in taxable prop-
erty and perhaps in tonnage. ^^ A drive to Marblehead
was then an indispensable requisite of Salem's hospitality
to strangers.

In that year, systematic general inoculation first came
into favor here. Inoculation had been in use in America
since 1720, and in common use since 1760.

The nature of the disease, from which inoculation was
proposed as an escape, is not such as to invite discussion.
Vaccination, introduced at the end of the last century ,^^
enables us to escape the sickening contemplation of it as
a matter of ofeneral concern ; but our ancestors were not

17NOV.27, ITU, the Churchmen of St. MichaeFs, at Marblehead, petitioned tlie
Bishop of London for an English Clergyman, and described their town as "next
Boston, the greatest place of Trade and Commerce within tliis Province." By the
census of 17(35, Salem and Marblehead compared as follows :—

Population. Houses. ramilies.

Salem 4427 509 923

Marblehead 49.54 519 935

Dartmouth, now New Bedford, was also then ahead of Salem. In the sermon on
the ordination of Eev'd Ebenezer Hubbard over the First Church at Marblehead
preached by Rev'd Elias Stone. Jan'y 1. 1783, the town is described as •• before the
American Revolution, swarming with inhabitants, a pattern of industry, flourishing
in trade, abounding Avith Avealth. From its numbers and opulence, as from a
fountain, streams of wealth flowed out, which greatly enriched the vicinity and
penetrated far into the country. About 1770, Marblehead was supposed next to
Boston in population, bearing a proportion in the Province Tax next to Boston,
and thought at that time to have imported more hard money than any other
town in the province."

18 Dr. Jenner vaccinated his first patient May 14. 1796, and on July 1st following
and several subsequent dates, inoculated him without eflect, thus demonstrating
the success of his system. The same year, the system was introduced into
America by Dr. James Jackson and Dr. Waterhouse. Dr. Thomas Pickmaa
performed the first vaccination in Salem, Oct. 5, 1800.

147

so fortunate. It was to them one of those horrors too
ghastly to confront. Deadly to a degree almost incom-
prehensible to us, its lethal force was perhaps its least
offensive characteristic: for when not fatal, it left behind
it blindness, debility, and the seeds of disorders only
less desolating than itself. Just before the settlement of
Cape Ann, it had completel}' depopulated this region of its
native stock, and if we charge that familiar fact to the
exposures and irregularities of savage life, what shall we
sav to the correlative fact, that of the patients under the
best known scientific treatment in London Hos[)itals,
thirty per cent, of those stricken with it died? In
spite of inoculation, which Lady Mdvy Wortley Montagu
had introduced from Constantinople in 1718-20, but
which made slow progress, one-tenth of all the deaths in
England, during the last half of the last century, were
deaths from small-pox. ^^ The statistics for New England
cannot be very different. Private diaries of persons in
the most favored positions in life are full of the records
of friends sacrificed to this pest. Judge Lynde of Salem,
though chief justice of the province, more than once
removed his family from his house, and once sent them into
the country and from place to place, to avoid danger
during a period of contagion ; and was once the recipient
of an anonymous letter charged with the deadly infection,
from the effect of which he happily escaped ; and this
too in the Revolutionary period, when a celebrated Ger-
man surgeon, attached to the Hessian troops. Dr. Johann
David SchopfF, writes home that in xVmerica inoculation is
an "almost universal practice."

"The disease was no respecter of persons, but like death in all its forms,
(eqzio iJulsat pede pauperum tabervas Regumque turres. May In, 1774, surrounded
by all the splendors of Versailles, Louis XV, at the age of sixty-four, King of
France since his fifth year, died a miserable death from a second attack of small-
pox, a disease which he had had in youtii and which he gave to the two princesses,
his daughters, who attended his death bed.

148

In the liirlit of modern science, inoculation seems to be
an inadequate, if not a dangerous resort, and is now pro-
hibited l)y hiw. It did not do away with the danger of
infection as vaccination does, nor in any way decrease it.
To some mnids, the bringing together, at one point in a
hospital, of so great a numl)er of persons suffering from
such a disorder, seemed likely to form a centre of prop-
agation which might imperil the neighborhood. jNIore-
over, the Jidvocates of inoculation did not unite their
forces in a vigorous struggle with its opponents, but were
very much divided among themselves in our neighbor-
hood, at the time in question, between two systems of
practice, differing mainly in the application of n)ercurials.
Before inoculation, pest-houses had been provided in out-
of-the-way places, where the disease could be isolated and
treated by nurses who had passed successfully through it.
Beyond this, and the killing of all stray dogs and roping
off of streets and sometimes of whole towns which were
infected, little could be done.^^

Lady ^Montagu, during her stay at Constantinople,
found inoculation in common use there, and much prized
h\ women as a protector of their beauty. She herself had
lost her eyebrows from the ravages of small-pox, and
counted her brother among its victims. With charac-
teristic sagacity and nerve she applied the new treatment
to her own children, and tinally succeeded on her return
to England, in recommending it to general attention.
It was first practised in America, at Boston, in 1720, and
thouoli Increase Mather, with other leaders of the clergy,

20 Vessels were constantlj- bringing the disease from Barbadoes and in tliese
cases their crews and cargoes, especially of coiton-wool, were often landed on
Misery or Baker's Island. Harvard College was more than once dismissed on
account of its prevalence, and many times the General Court was adjourned from
place to place to escape it. Highways from town to town were securely fenced
and guarded, and ferry boats discontinued.

149

brought all their priestly influence to bear in its favor,
its adherents made slow progress. Nov. 20, 1721, there
was but one physician. Dr. Zabdiel Boylston,^^ known
to countenance and encourage the practice in Boston,
though Mather argued the lawfulness of it on scriptural
grounds, gravely urging: "Furthermore, I have made
some enquiry, whether there be many persons of a pro-
phane life and conversation that do approve and defend
inoculation, and I have been answered that they know
but of very few such. This is to me a weiglity consid-
eration. But on the other hand, though there are some
worthy persons that are not clear about it, nevertheless
it cannot be denied, but that the known children of the
wicked one are generally fierce enemies to inoculation."^^
It was claimed in l^ehalf of inoculation, th;it it relieved
those who sul)mitted to it, for the rest of their lives, of
the habitual and universal dread of taking the disease in
the natural way. The unspeakable value of such ex-
emption is obvious. Moreover, it was also demon-
strated, that the disease thus artiticially produced in a
system previously skilfully prepared to receive it and
developed under scientific conditions, in every way the
most favorable, Avas not more dangerous nor afflictive
than many others. Instead of amounting to one in three,
four, or five of those affected, the number who died under
the new treatment was found not to exceed one in seven
hundred or a thousand, and was often stated nuich more
favorably, and thoughtful people congratulated them-
selves that at last "that disease, which, taken b}^ chance,
hath proved the Bain of Tens of Thousands, now comes
cloathed in gentleness, — all its Terribleness cast aside."

21 Dr. Boylston's life was threatened and adverse legislation attempted.

22 Collections Mass. Hist. Soc, 1st ser., Vol. IX, pp. 275-SO.

150

Washington was inoculated at New York, June 27, 1776.
In that 3'ear, small-pox raged in Boston which was occu-
pied by the British. A general inoculation was ordered
there, July 3. These general inoculations required very
extensive hospital accommodations. Cat Island had been
early recognized as a desirable site for an establishment
of this nature, and leading citizens of Marblehead, Salem,
Beverly, and Lynn, had asked the needful permission of
the Provincial Asseml)ly.

The island had a sufficient area, with pure air, fine
views, and a natural spring of water. It was of easy
access, yet at a safe distance, and was at that time not
wholl}^ cleared of its growth of timber. It was purchased
in equal shares, by four of the most prominent citizens of
Marblehead : Col. Azor Orne, Elbridge Gerry, Esq.,
Capt. John Glover, and Jonathan Glover, Esq., and their
enterprise and means secured, on a generous scale, the
erection during the summer of 1773 of the needful
buildings, at the high, rocky headland, near the spring of
water. Even before their completion, popular distrust
had begun to show itself and had so far prevailed over
good sense, that on Sept. 19, a town meeting had been
called at the instance of indignant opponents of the
scheme, and the license granted by the town had been
revoked. The projectors of Essex Hospital, however,
were not the men to be daunted by popular clamor.
Among them were the town's representatives in the gen-
eral assembly and on the committees of correspondence.
In a larger sense, they were representatives of the in-
dustry, wealth, and intelligence of the town. They had in
hand a private enterprise of great public importance, and in
order to demonstrate to their townsmen that a desire for
personal profit was not among their motives, they made
a public offer to the town of the whole property at cost.

151

This being declined, they pushed on the work with char-
acteristic energ}', and Octol)er 19, opened the Essex
Hospital to the public with the sanction of the Provincial
Assembly and under a rigid system of rules duly approved
by the "gentlemen selectmen of Salem and Marblehead."

One of the selectmen of Salem was Timothy Pickering,
jr., at that time captain of the 4th Salem Company in the
1st Essex Regiment of Infantry, of which he soon after
became cok)nel. lie threw himself with the same bold-
ness and enthusiasm into the controversies growing out of
the small-pox excitement of that year, as he did into
every other on which he entered. A prolific and telling
writer on military, patriotic, theological and political
topics, he was at the same time engaged in a furious
newspaper warfare with Kev. Dr. Whitaker in the Essex
Gazette, as to which was the better of the two prevailing
methods of inoculation, and had that summer made a
saddle-journey alone to Albany, in the Province of Xew
York, to secure the services of a celebrated surgeon
attached to the Eighth (King's) Regiment of Foot, who
practised the much-vaunted Suttonian method. This
step he took as overseer of a hospital for inoculation,
then building near Castle Hill in Salem, in "the great
pasture common," which seems to have been the second
institution of the kind opened in this province, the Essex
Hospital alone being completed before it. Of Mr. Geny,
it is proper to say that he had in early life given much
attention to medicine, a profession to which he was in-
clined and for which his father destmed him ; but the
troubles of his country summoned him to more con-
spicuous service.

It will be seen that the sanction of the selectmen of
Marblehead for the opening of the Essex Hospital was
granted after an expression of public disapproval and dis-

152

trust by''the citizens of the town, and this fact probably
explains the occurrences which are to be narrated.

Besides generous kitchens and quarters for a steward,
physicians, nurses and attendants, tlie hospital buildings
contained an assembly room and ten large lodgings, each
well-furnished for eight or ten patients. Eight persons
miiiht, before enterino- club tooether and secure a room
to themselves ; otherwise, patrons were admitted and
assigned rooms in the order in which their applications
were recorded. Major Richard Reed kept, at his place
of business in Marblehead, the class books, so called, m
which the names of applicants were entered, and Jona-
than Glover signed for the proprietors. An island guard
and a crew of picked boatmen were enlisted and these
were placed under oath. The regulations, which were
published, provided that the guard " shall sutler no person
to land on the island and no person to embark there-
from " without written passport. No letters can leave the
island on any account. The average admittance fee
seems to have been twelve dollars, payable in advance, —
the average term of sojourn, four weeks, and a bond was
given on entering, to insure the strict observance of reg-
ulations. A "coasting sloop" was provided for trans-
portation, and these, with the additicm of the usual out-
buildinofs for the storao-e of uninfected clothins:, for
fumigation and the like, the whole intrenched behind a
picket-fence with gates and sentry-boxes, completed the
elaborate arrangements at this Castle of Uncleanness.

At the top of the main building, three stories in height,
was constructed a system of signals by which the exact
state of affairs on the island could be telegraphed ashore ;
and hundreds of anxious observers, all along the bay,
may well be supposed to have levelled their glasses at
sunrise for the daily bulletin, with a foreboding scrutiny

153

not unlike that with which the poet Key, at a later period,
spied out the starry fl;ig on Fort McHenry.

The establishment thus equipped, the lirst of the kind
in the country, was placed in charge of two eminent
specialists in their department of physic. Dr. Hall Jackson
of Portsmouth, N. H., who had practised in London, and
an assistant. Dr. Ananias Randall, from Long Island. The
American, and not the Suttonian method, was practised,
and to this Col. Pickering soon became a convert. Be-
sides the professional supervision thus secured, the enter-
prise enjoyed the countenance and endorsement of eminent
local practitioners, who m;ide haste to enter themselves
as patients. Dr. Ebcnezer Putnam, sen'r, of Salem,
"set off for Cat Island" for inoculation, October 25, and
on Nov. 12, he with Dr. Elisha Whitney of Beverly, and
Drs. Nathaniel Bond and Elijah Dix, united in publishing
a card as patients of the Essex Hospital. Dec'r 3, Dr.
Humphrey Devereaux, a leading ph^'sician of jNIarblehead,
died there, at the age of 43, "universally regretted."
Col. Peter Frye, Mr. Eaton, and other leading citizens of
Salem, were there as patients.

The first class entered Essex Hospital, Oct. 19, 1773.
It consisted of 103 persons of both sexes, filling the
inistitution to its utmost capacity, went down "in high
spirits," and, as the buildings and outtit were all fresh and
uninfected, was not unnaturally attended to the island by
a very large concourse of the best quality of the neigh-
borhood. After leave-taking in the assembly room, the
island was cleared of the throng and inoculation pro-
ceeded. The high spirits with Avhich the party entered upon
this strange experience suffered no abatement. Death did
not invade their ranks, and so mild a type of the dis-
order was induced, notwithstanding the autumnal weather
which was accounted as a little unfriendly for the first

154

venture, that we find them "daily displaying their signal
of Health from the middle of the Island :" — " all in high
spirits "Oct. 25, — "indeed confined to a strict regimen,
but they may every day be seen walking the Island,
shooting wild fowl, playing at quoits, — some wholly with-
out marks, — in all stages of the disease their windows
daily open, — exposing themselves to the open air in all
weathers," — down to Oct. 29; and on Nov. 5, duly
commemorating the " happy Deliverance of the English
Nation from the Gun Powder Plot" with tar barrels
brought from Marblehead, with which they "displayed a
large fire from the Middle of the Island, and the Hospi-
tal Illuminated, making a most beautiful appearance."
Rockets were ordered from Boston, and were " played off
by a number of gentlemen who spent the Evening at the
Assembly room," and all passed "very jovially for them
and for their friends and acquaintances under Inoculation."
Dec. 4, in firing a salute, it does not appear for what occa-
sion, Capt. Lowell of Newbury port, a patient only twelve
days under inoculation, blew off both his arms and shattered
his upper jaw and nose, yet he was discharged in thirty-
seven days, recovered so far as was possible from these
and other frightful injuries, with the sight of one e^'e
restored, — a striking testimony to the curative skill and
good management which prevailed there. Clergymen
were not lacking among the patients to conduct the usual
services of Sunday.

Thus successfully did this important undertaking seem
to be initiated, and the first, second and third classes,
each of a hundred or more members, had already passed
the ordeal, the Salem Hospital at Castle Hill having in
the meantime been erected and opened. Applications
crowded the class books too fast for admission, and the
patients, returning from treatment, left the island with

155

keen appetites, a grateful sense of exemption from futare
peril, and often in better general health than they en-
joyed before entering the hospital.

Unhappily, in bringing ashore a portion of the third
class, some irregularity occurred, from an attempt to land
them at a point other than that designated by the author-
ities. The magazine of popular indignation was fired in
an instant. General distrust and alarm took possession
of the town. Angry collisions occurred. The Hospital
Boat was burned. Jan'y 19, four Marblehead men were
caught attempting, as it was charged, to introduce into
town clothing which they had stolen and brought ashore
from the island. "A large body of Mobility" met at
the Town House next morning, says the Essex Gazette,
and having, " by a great majority, determined that the
Mode of Punishment should be Tarring and Feathering,"
proceeded to execute their sentence.

Of the excesses which immediately preceded and fol-
lowed this outbreak, we have, l)esides the contemporary
chronicle of the Essex Gazette, which might be thought
to be colored by the excitement of the hour, a carefully
digested statement, dated Marblehead, February 8, 1774,
signed by fifty of the most substantial citizens of the
town, and placed on file, Feb. 12, with the Provincial
Assembly then sitting at Boston. It bears the names,
among others, of Jeremiah Lee, who seems to have
drawn it, of Joseph and of William Lee, of both the
Glovers, of Richard and Samuel Reed, of Robert Hooper,
iertius, of Joseph Hooper, of Thos., Thos., jr., and
Elbridge Gerry, of Richard Phillips, of Azor and Joshua
Orne, of John Gallison and John Sparhawk, of Edward
Fettyplace and Burrill Devereaux. It is addressed to
"His Excellency, Thomas Hutchinson, Esq., the Honor-
able, His Majesty's Council, and the Honorable House of

156

Representatives in General Court assembled." It l)eoins
as follows : " May it please your Excellency and Hon-
ors. Your Petitioners, l^eing Inhabitants of Marblehead,
and conceiving that their Lives, Lil)erties and Properties
have not the least Protection from the Laws and Govern-
ment of the Land, beg leave to submit tlieir unhappy
Circumstances to your wise consideration, and Humbly
Implore your Patience to a True Narration of Facts."

From sources of information such as these, unimpeached
and thoroughly worthy of credit, it appears that the
reign of terror began as early as the night of Jan'y 11,
and continued with little abatement until the end of
February. That on Jan'y 12, the mob "blacked them-
selves" after being "plj-ed with strong liquors for several
hours," and beset the house of Jonathan Glover, who
planted in the hall behind his open front door a loaded
cannon, and declared his readiness to receive their visit.
That the}^ broke his windows, and demanded the Deputy
Sheriff, Brown, whom they supposed to be on duty in
town, to take the offenders who fired the Hospital Sloop
the night before. That they declared their intention, so
says the petition to General Court, " to have [)ut to a most
excruciating death the Deputes with the High Sheriff,
by Bonding them in Oyle." And that "they further em-
barked to Burn the Hospital, then having forty patients
under inoculation, but were happily prevented." The
next day, which was the third day, "matters had arrived
to such a pitch as to leave it no longer safe for any one to
express his dissatisfaction at these proceedings." The
disorder increased until Jan'y 15th, when the Proprietors
of Essex Hospital made public declaration " that it
should be closed until the town should think it necessary
to be opened again." This had a quieting effect; but on
the 17th, persons appeared blacked, in the evening, in all

157

parts of the town, and the Design was again disclosed of
Bnrning the Hospital. "Preparation was thonght on to
defend it," and the design was a]:)andoned. The lives of
attendants wdio came ashore were threatened, and the
keys of the Proprietors' stores and warehonses Avcre de-
manded. Thus matters stood on Jan'y 20. Meanwhile,
the first four victims of the tar-kettle had been secured,
and, says the Gazette for that day, " the most extraordinary
exhil)iti()n of tiie kind ever seen in North America was
drawn fortli to public view." The procession formed
at the Town House in the morning. First came
oue thousand people, mostly m uniform, among whom
were four drunnners. Next rode the "ibur objects of
resentment" in a cart facing each other, each wearing a
coat of tar and feathers ; a fifer and one drummer being
placed in the front of the carriage, from which a large
white Hag was displayed. In this manner they marched
to Salem, and entered the town about twelve o'clock.
Here, forming a junction with a numerous body of the
inhabitants, they paraded the principal streets, drums
beating, tife j)laying, and flag flyiug from the cart,
"which, with the exquisitel}- droll and grotesque appear-
ance of the four tarred and feathered Objects of Derision,
exhibited a laughable and truly comic scene." They left
Salem for Marblehead before one o'clock, and dispersed
there on their arrival. By this treatment, the petition
asseits, the lives of two of their victims were put in
peril. The next evening, Jan'}' 21, a bod}^ of seven or
eight hundred persons assembled, tarred and feathered
another " object of resentment," and carted him through
town, proclaiming that "they had the Laws in their own
hands," and threatening all who should exhibit lire-arms,
thus " depriving such as apprehended themselves in dan-

158

ger of their only defence, iii a Perfect state of An-
archy and Confusion."

We are not unprepared for the sequel. On Jan'y 24,
"a Meeting was called at ]Marblehead to put a Stop to
the Disorders, which for several days before had hap-
pened in the Place. As the Dispute respected the Essex
Hospital, it was agreed by the Proprietors to shut it np."
The account is taken from the Petition and from the Es-
sex Gazette. At their Desire, a Committee of the Town
was chosen to inspect the Operation. "Next day, the
Committee went to the Hospital and attended their Busi-
ness until the following Night, Wednesday, Jan'y 26,
when they awaked with the Rest of the Family, being
eleven in Number, surrounded with Flames. The Ruf-
fians, who perpetrated this act, went from the Town pre-
pared with Tar Tubs, etc., and proceeded setting Fire to
all Parts of the Plouse, without any Attempt to awake
the People. So infernal were the Villains, that they
struck down one Man, who in Amazement had jumped
from his Bed and was running from the Flames. The
Steward had a Blow from another of them with an And-
iron, which missed his head and felled him to the Floor.
One of the Patients, with a Child at her Breast, was
driven to the Smoke House, fainting as she went, and
others were turned out, cold as it was, Avith scarcely any
Thing to cover them."^'^

,The persons engaged in this outrage numbered about
twenty, part of them disguised as Mohawks ; the loss to
the proprietors was estimated at Two Thousand Pounds,

23 The same issue of the paper states that the Frost has nearly completed a
bridge from Castle Island to the mainland in Boston Harbor, that Charles River
was frozen over so that tliere was loot-passage from Boston to Charlestown, that
the Beverly Ferry was froze over so that they pass and repass on the i(.-e, and that
uavigation was at a stand in Salem, the Harbor being entirely froze up.

159

L. M., and a military watch of forty men was at once
established at Marblehead, the Confusion being such that
Lives and Property were not thought safe without it.

The General Court was next appealed to, in the peti-
tion already quoted. This closed b}^ showing how Keverend
Ministers had been abused for bearing religious testimony
against the outrages, being threatened with having their
houses pulled about their ears ; that the Salem Hospital
was threatened, and the workhouses, that they should be
burnt and the keepers with them ; that vessels were
threatened with scuttling ; and that " should Government
remain longer unrestored, assassinations, which have al-
read}^ been threatened, will, we fear, be the unhappy
consequence." " Your Petitioners beg leave to shew that,
amidst all these Tumults, not a magistrate has there been
to command the peace."

In answer to this humble petition for "such speedy
relief from these grievous circumstances as in their great
wisdom may seem meet," the Provincial Assembly ap-
pointed an investigating committee of both Houses, which
was instructed to repair to Marblehead and " inquire into
the izrounds of the uneasiness subsistins: there." This
Committee reported, Feb. 18, supposing the danger over.

Feb. 25, Deputy Sheriff Brow^n, of Salem, went in the
forenoon to Marblehead and arrested two persons on
board a fishing vessel, in an action for £3,000 brought by
the "gentlemen who were Proprietors of the late Essex
Hospital, on suspicion that the said two Persons Ave re
concerned in burning that building. The prisoners were
committed to his Majesty's Gaol-^ al)out 2 o'clock p. M.

24 This Giiol wiis at the corner of Prison Lane, now St. Peter's street, and
County now Federal street, and had an open yard on the easterly side of it, ex-
tending to Prison Lane. The present residence of Abner C. Goodell, Esq.,
is in part the same structure and contains some of the identical timbers.

160

Almost as soon as the Ke^^s were turned upon them, the
People bea'an in small Companies to enter the Town
from Marblehead, and continued coming over in this
jManner, till near Night, rendezvousing near the Gaol.
The Magistrates were busy in consulting upon Measures
for preserving the Peace, and for dispersing the People
■who Avere assembling from j\Iarl)lehead, from whence a
still greater Number was expected after dark. About
Sunset, on Application to the Colonel of the Militia, the
Drums were ordered out and beat, 2h Arms! Immedi-
ately upon hearing this, the Mob to the numbers ot 4
or 500, arming themselves with Clubs, Sticks of Wood,
etc., and while it was yet Di\y Light, made a most furious
attack upon the Gaol. They first burst open the Doors
and broke most of the lower windows in that Part of the
Building which is the Prison Keeper's Dwelling, — and
then with Iron Crows, Axes, etc., they soon beat their
wa}^ through four of the Prison Doors, each of which
was very strong and well secured with many large Locks.
Thus, having got into two Apartments of the Prison, in
less than 10 Minutes from the first Onset, they carried off
th.e above mentioned two Prisoners in Triumph to Mar-
blehead."

On Monday, Feb. 28, the High Sheriff of the County
(Richard Saltonstall, who had advertised a reward for the
apprehension of the jail-breakers) gave orders to his
deputy in Salem to conuiiand the Inhabitants to meet in
School Street (now Washington, north of Essex Street)
at 9 o'clock the next ^Morning, with Arms and Ammu-
nition according to Law, to assist the High Sheriff in the
Execution of his Office.

"In Pursuance of this Order, several Hundred were
commanded to appear. This Body, when assembled,
was to march to Marblehead and assist the Sheriff in

IGl

retaking the Prisoners as well as to apprehend the Prin-
cipals concerned in breaking the Gaol. On the other
Hand it was given out that the Marblehead People, to
the Number of six or eight hundred, were arming and
were determined to repel to the last Extremity, any
Force that should be brought against them. In this
critical Situation of' Things, a Number of the principal
Gentlemen of Marblehead were happily instrumental in
effecting a Compromise : the Proprietors of the late Es-
sex Hos[)ital being influenced to relinquish all Demands
that they might have either on the County or Sheriff, in
Consequence of the Rescue and Escape of the above
mentioned Prisoners, and to discontinue all Proceedings
respecting the Burning of the Hospital. This Measure,
which restored Peace, was reported al)r()ad just l)efore
the Time at which the People were ordered to assemble,
and was the Cause of crvcat Jov and Satisfaction to the
Town in general." With the subsequent beating of Clark,
one of the four who were first tarred and feathered, and
who was again dragged from his bed at night by twenty men
and whipped at the post before the Town House in Mar-
blehead, this disgraceful transaction seems to have closed.
Unfortunate as the occurrence was, it barely escaped
more serious consequences of a political nature. Such
was the sense of outrage on the part of the Proprietors
of the Hospital, that they declined all further service in
town affairs and threatened to leave town. This action
not only vacated the places of deputies in the Assembly,
but left Marblehead without a committee of safety and
correspondence at that critical moment when, the Boston
Port Bill being but a few days off, the second town in New
England was about to be called on to render incalculable aid
and comfort to the distressed capital of the Province. To
avert this catastrophe Samuel Adams made it his special

ESSKX INST. BULLETIX, VOL. XII. 11

162

care and duty, and wrote to Elbridge Gerry patriotic
words, which fitly close this strange narration.-^

Austin says " This act of violence, following soon after
the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor, was urged
by the advocates of the ministry as the natural effect of a
bad example. To the friends of the people this was pecul-
iarly mortifying. It was with extreme regret that in a
place considered as patriotic as Marblehead, a disgraceful
scene of riot and ruhi should have been exhibited, which
could not fail to be turned to their disadvantage in the
great contest on which they were entering."-*^

[mR. ADAMS TO MR. GERRY.]

Boston, March 25, 1774.

My Dear Sir :

While the general court was sittine:, I received a
letter from you relating to the unhappy circumstances the town of
Marblehead was then in; but a great variety of business, some of
which was very important, j)revented my giving you a convincing
proof at that time, of the regard with which I am ever disposed to
treat your favours. Besides, if it had been in my power to have aided
you with advice, I flattered myself, from the information I afterwards
had, that the storm, though it raged with so much violence, w^ould
soon spend itself, and a calm would ensue. The tumult of the people
is very properly compared to tlie raging of the sea. When the pas-
sions of a multitude become headstrong, they generally will have their
course : a direct opposition only tends to increase them ; and as to
reasoning, one may as well expect that the foaming billows will
hearken to a lecture of morality and be quiet. The skilful pilot will
carefully keep the helm, and so steer the ship while the storm con-
tinues, as to prevent, if possible, her receiving injury.

When your petition was read in the house, I was fearful that our
enemies would make an ill improvement of it. I thought I could
discover in the countenances of some, a kind of triumph in finding
that the friends of liberty themselves were obliged to have recourse
even to military aid, to protect them from the fury of an ungoverued

25 See Wells's Life of Samuel Adams, Vol. II, pp. 154-5.
26 See Austin's Life of Elbridge Gerry, Vol. I, pp. 33-42.

163

mob. They seemed to me to be disposed to confound the distinction,
between a lawless attack upon property in a case where if there had
been right there was remedy, and the people's rising in the necessary
defence of their liberties, and deliberately, and I may add rationally,
destroying property, after trying every method to preserve it, and
when the men in power had rendered the destruction of that property
the only means of securing the property of all.

It is prol)able that such improvement may have been made of the
disorders in Marblehead, to prejudice or discredit our manly opposi-
tion to the efforts of tyranny; but I hope the friends of liberty will
prevent any injury thereby to the common cause : and yet, I cannot but
express some fears, that parties and animosities have arisen among
the brethren ; because I have just now heard from a gentleman of
your town, that your committee of correspondence have resolved no
more to act ! I am loth to believe, nay, I cannot yet believe, that
tlie gentlemen of Marblehead, who have borne so early and so noble
a testimony to the cause of American freedom, will desert that cause,
only from a difference of sentiments among themselves concerning a
matter which has no relation to it. If my fears are groundless, pray
be so kind as to relieve them, by writing to me as soon as you have an
opportunity. I shall take it as the greatest act of friendship you can
do me. Indeed, the matter will soon be put to the trial ; for our com-
mittee, wltliout the least jealousy, have written a letter to yours, by
Mr. Goddard, who is the bearer of this. The contents we think of
great importance, and therefore I hope they will have the serious con-
sideration of the gentlemen of your committee.

I am, with strict truth,
Your's affectionately,

Samukl Adams.

Elbridge Geuiiy, Esq.

[committee of correspondence to MR. GERRY AND OTHERS.]

Boston, April 2, 1774.

Gentlemen :

Yesterday we received your letter dated the 22nd
of March, wherein we have the disagreeable intelligence of your
" having resigned the several offices in which you have acted for the
town of Marblehead," and that you shall "accept them no more —
without material alteration in the conduct of the inhabitants."

When we heard of the unhappy circumstances of that town, the
contest that had arisen to so great a degree of violence on account of
the hospital lately erected there, it gave us great concern and anxiety,
lest it might issue to the prejudice of the common cause of American

164

freedom. We were apprehensive that the minds of the zealous friends
of that good cause, being warmly agitated in such a controversy,
would become thereby disaffected to each other, and that the advan-
tage which we have hitherto experienced from their united efforts
would cease. We are confirmed that our fears were not ill-grounded,
by your relinquishing a post, which in our opinions, and we dare say,
in the opinion of your fellow-townsmen you sustained with honor to
yourselves and advantage to your country. But, gentlemen, suffer us
to ask, whether you well considered, that although you derived your
being as a committee of correspondence from that particular town
which appointed you, yet in the nature of your office, while they
continued you in it you stood connected in a peculiar relation with
your country? If this be a just view of it, should the ill conduct of
the inhabitants of Marblehead towards you, influence you to decline
serving the public in this office any more than that of the inhabitants
of this or any other town? And would you not therefore have con-
tinued in that office, though you had been obliged to resign every
other office you held under the town, without injury to your own
reputation? Besides, will the misfortune end in this resignation?
Does not the step naturally lead you to withdraw yourselves totally
from the public meetings of the town, however important to the
common cause, by which the other ffrm friends to that honourable
cause may feel the want of your influence and aid, at a time when, as
you well express it, "a fatal thrust may be aimed at our rights and
liberties," and it may be necessary that all should appear, and " as
one body oppose the design and defeat the rebel intention?" Should
not the disorders that have prevailed and still prevail in the town of
Marblehead, have been a weighty motive rather for your taking meas-
ures to strengthen your connexions with the people than otherwise ;
that you might in conjunction with other prudent men, have employed
your influence and abilities in reducing to the exercise of reason
those who had been governed by prejudice and passion, and thus have
brought the contest to an equitable and amicable issue, which would
certainly have been to your own satisfaction? If difficulties stared
you in the face, it is a good maxim, nil desperandum ; and are you
sure that it was impracticable for you, by patience and assiduity, to
have restored "order and distinction," and rendered the public offices
of the town again respectable?

It is difficult to enumerate all the instances in which our enemies, as
watchful as they are inveterate, will make an ill improvement of your
letter of resignation. And therefore we earnestly wish that a method
may yet be contrived for the recalling of it consistent with your own
sentiments. We assure ourselves that personal considerations will
not be suff"ered to have an undue weight in your minds, when the

165 ^

public liberty in which is involved the happiness of your own as well
as the children of those who have ill treated you, and whom to rescue
from bondage will afford you the most exalted pleasure, is in dauger
of suffering injury.

We wish most ardently that by the exercise of moderation and
prudence the differences subsisting among the good people of INIar-
blehead may be settled upon righteous terms. And as we are in-
formed that the town at their late meeting did not see cause to make
choice of other gentlemen in your room in consequence of your de-
clining to serve any longer as a committee of correspondence, we beg
leave still to consider and address you in that character.

We are, with unfeigned respect,

AViLLiAM CooPEK, Clerk.
By order, and in behalf of the Committee
of Correspondence for Boston.
To gentlemen of the Committee of Correspondence
for Marhlehead.

The gentlemen addressed resumed their places on the
Committee, and so the Cat Island Imbroglio ended.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

By the polite invitation of Col. William L. Palmer,
the lessee of the island and the buildings thereon, the In-
stitute selected this pleasant seaside resort for one of its
Field Meetings.

The large hall, erected for the various entertainments
incident to these places, was appropriated for the use of
the Institute during the day, and here were spread the
tables for the lunch at 1 p. m., and at 2.30, the afternoon
session was held.

The Meeting was called to order by the President.
The records of the last meeting were read by the Secre-
tary, and the usual routine of business was transacted.

The President alluded briefly to the progress that
had been made in scientific research, and the increased

• 166

facilities for pursuing the same in our various educational
institutions witliin the past fifty years. At that time
public attention was being awakened to the importance
of these investigations. Societies having these objects in
view were organizing, the general government and the
legislatures of the several states were making appropriations
for scientific surveys of their respective domains, and
the same were under consideration.

The introduction of the use of the dredge, the trawl,
etc., by naturalists, especially by those connected with the
U. S. Fish Commission, has been instrumental in adding
largely to the knowledge of the marine fauna and flora of
our coast. The arrival of Prof. L. Agassiz in this coun-
try, in 1846, marks an important era in the history of
science. His lectures before the Lowell Institute, and
elsewhere in the United States, created a zeal and in-
terest in zoological studies ; the formation of the Museum
of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, under his aus-
pices, and the great progress in the development of his
plans since his decease, by the liberality and persevering
energy of his son A. Agassiz, will long remain as a lasting
monument to his great and careful labors in this direction.
Many of his pupils are now holding professorships in
several of our colleges and schools of learning, and are
doing good work in the promotion of the natural sciences.

The President then introduced the Kev. Sereno D.
Gammell, of Boxford, who made a brief and practical
address, in which he compared the vastness of the ocean
with the limitless domain of knowledge ; but this large-
ness of the field should not discourage the beginner, for
the more one studies, the more he will be interested, and
the mind will be absorbed in the research and investi-
gation. He also spoke of the power of self-restraint,

167

which is an evidence of manliness, as one of the inci-
dental results of studious habits.

Mr. H. Saze, a Japanese student attending the Sum-
mer School of Biology, was introduced, and gave an in-
teresting account of the cultivation of rice in a northern
province of Japan. The following is an abstract of his
remarks : —

The seed is usually sprouted before sowing. This is
done by soaking it in water and then exposing it to
the warm sun. It is sown broadcast, very thickly over
a small patch of prepared soil which might be called a
nursery. The plant grows in the nursery until it reaches
the height of six or seven inches. Then it is trans-
planted.

The rice field is ploughed, manured, watered, and
thoroughly stirred in early spring. The water must stand
about three inches deep. Hence, the necessity of dividing
the field into compartments. About the beginning of
June, the transplanting commences. The young plants
are set out in regular rows of bunches, six, seven, or eight
inches apart. Before the plant advances too far in its
growth, two or three weedings are usually necessary.
The water is finally drawn off. The harvesting takes
place during October. The cutting is done Avith the
sickle.

The grain is threshed early in the winter. One handful
after another of the straw is taken up, and the grain
separated from it. The straw is kept for ropes, shoes,
mats, etc.

The chaff is ground off by means of a large wooden
or clayey handmill, not heavy enough to crush the
kernel. Before it is ready for the kettle, the rice must
be further refined by removing the brown inner seed-

168

coat Avhicb adheres very closely to the kernel. A wooden
mortar and pestle are used for this final operation.

Dr. George A. Perkins, of Salem, who had lived for
nine years in a rice-growing country, gave a detailed
description of the method of its cultivation as practised
upon the western coast of Africa. This method differed
in many respects from that pursued in Japan, and was
substantially as follows :

The first step in rice cultivation in Western Africa, is
the clearing of so much of the waste land as may be
needed for a single year, the natives never planting the
same land for two consecutive years. This clearing of
the land takes place during the dry season, when all the
trees and shrubs are cut down and allowed to dry, and is
the most difiicult and tedious part of the work. Just
before the beginning of the annual rains, the wood, being
properly dried by the heat of the sun, the whole tract,
often of some miles in extent, is burned over ; the in-
tense heat destroying all the weeds, and the ashes being
all the manure needed.

This tract of land may belong to a town or perhaps
several of them, or even the whole tribe ; each head of a
family has a portion marked off and assigned to him, and
this he divides among his wives, of which he may have
one, two, or more.

When the first showers, which usher in the rainy sea-
son, begin to fall, the women repair to the farms, pro-
vided with rice-seed, a large snail shell — which will hold
a pint or more — and a miniature spade; with this last
held in the right hand, they dig a shallow hole in the
earth, and by a skilful motion of the left hand, which
holds the shell filled with rice, they let fall from four to
eight grains of the seed into the hole ; then, by a single

169

light blow of the spade, the whole is covered and the
same operation repeated over the whole field at a distance
of six or eight inches apart.

The planted field must then be very sharply watched to
preserve it from the ravages of the small birds who visit
the farm in thousands. This business is left to the
women and children, but often the men must do their
share if they hope to have any rice at harvest-time.
This Avatching must be kept up day after day, — and often
at night too, when the moon shines, — until the plant has
so far 2frown as to cease to attract the birds. When the
rice begins to head, it must again be guarded until it is
fit to cut. This cutting is a tedious work, only one head
is cut at a time ; upon this they leave the straw about
eight inches long, and this enables them to tie it in bun-
dles just as large as the hand can grasp. Five of these
handfuls are afterward again tied together to make a larger
bunch. One of these large bunches seems to be the unit
of measure in dealing with one another.

All the crop is to be transported on their heads from
the fi^rm to their fenced towns, a distance in most cases
of two or three miles ; it is there stored in the tops of
their conical huts, where it is exposed to the smoke of
the fires on the earthen floors below, and this preserves
it from the attacks of insects.

When wanted for food, only a single day's rations are
cleaned and cleared of the hulls at a time, by pounding
in large wooden mortars, and the chaff is fanned away.

Prof. E. S. Morse, after alluding briefl}^ to the
l^eculiar difficulties of the Japanese language, spoke of
the great rocks with which the shore is lined, and which
here and there dot the island. It was with reference to
the effect upon them, of the glacial period, that expla-
nation was made. Many years ago, the entire country

170

hereabouts was covered with a vast field of ice, which
gradually moved southward. One of the evidences of
this moving field of ice is the rounding of the large stones
all over New England toward the north, and their ragged
precipitous character towards the south ; also the presence
of bowlders which evidently do not belong to this region.
Reference was also made to the glaciers of Greenland
and Switzerland.

Prof. Morse exhibited specimens of the I^iq)iUa mus-
corum, which he had found on the island during the day,
and considered this a new locality for this species. A
communication prepared by him since the adjournment,
on " The gradual dispersion of certain Mollusks in New
England," contains a description of this Pujnlla, and is
appended to the report of this meeting.

Rev. Joseph Banvakd, of Neponset, formerly pastor
of the Central Baptist church of this city, made some
excellent and practical remarks regarding the possibility
of every one being able to gather much scientific knowl-
edge, by keeping the e^es open and cultivating the
habit of close observation. He urged the young people
present to study the simple things in nature, and in so
doing, they would not only find great pleasure, but great
profit.

Mr. N. a. Horton, of the Salem Gazette, after a few
appropriate remarks, oflfered the following resolution
which was unanimously adopted.

Resolved^ That the thanks of the Essex Institute be
tendered to Col. William L. Palmer, for his polite invi-
tation to hold a field meeting on Lowell Island, and for
the courtesies extended to the members and their friends
on this occasion.

Adj.

The gradual dispersion of certain Mollusks in Nexo
England,

By Edward S. Morse.

The rapid dispersion of Mollusks, as observed in certain
species, is of great interest in connection with the general
distribution of species from certain centres.

The rapid invasion of hirge areas, by species not known
to have occurred there before, may account for the wide
distribution of species through certain geological horizons,
where their progenitors in earlier deposits are not known.
The sudden appearance of species throughout large geo-
logical areas has always been held as a strong point by
those who argue against the doctrine of derivation.

In a long study of the Mollusca of New England for the
past twenty-four years, I have observed many changes
going on in the distribution of certain species which in-
dicates a much more rapid invasion of areas than had
before been supposed. Not only do we see this rapid
introduction of forms from other centres, but some
species of mollusks vary greatly in their relative scarcity
and abundance, when observed over considerable lapses
of time.

In my little work entitled "Observations on the Terres-
trial Pulmonifera of Maine," forming the first part of
the Journal of the Portland Society of Natural History,
published in 1864, I commented on this change in the
relative scarcity and abundance of certain species as
compared with the observations made by Dr. J. W.

(171)

172

Miirhels, a careful and enthusiastic worker in the same
field. His paper was published in the Proceedings of
the Boston Society of Natural History in 1843, and was
entitled " Catalos^ue of the Marine Fluviatile and Ter-
restrial Shells of the State of Maine " (Bost. Jour. Nat.
Hist., Vol. IV, p. 308). The following is a brief
extract from my paper above mentioned. The lines in
quotations being taken from Dr. Mighel's paper, while
the contrasts as observed by me are printed in italics.

Mesndon albolabris. ''Solitary." Great abundance.

Anguispira alternata. " Abundaut." Not abundant, excexit on isl-
ands.

Hyalina indeutata. " Appears to be rare." Not rare.

Hyalina electrina. "Rare." Quite common.

Conulus chersina is more abundant than his words would seem to
indicate.

Strobila labyrinthica. " Found sparingly." Common all over the
State.

Pupillas and Isthmias. "Were noted as found sparingly by Dr. Mi-
ghels. Most of the species are quite common.

Zoogenetes harpa. Is now abundant in several parts of the state,
and particularly about Portland. Mighels did not find it at the time
of the publication of his catalogue.

Succinea avara. Mighels mentions only one locality. It is now
common all ov'er the state.

Helisoma bicarinata. "Not aware that it is abundant anywhere."
Exceedingly abundant.

Ancylus rivularis. "Found in plenty." One of our scarcest shells.

Radix ampla. This species was found in great abundance when first
discovered in Eagle Lake in the northern part of the state, in company
with Physa ancillaria.

In company with Mr. John M. Gould, I visited this lake in 1859,
and a most careful search revealed only a few dead specimens of B.
ampla, and not a vestige of Physa ancillaria. Mr. Fuller has since
discovered the shell on the shores of Lake Sebago.

Dr. C. B. Adams first described a species of land snail
known as Papilla hadia^ as occurring in Vermont. The
shell difiered very slightly from a European species P.

173

muscorum, and as such Adams' species is now recognized,
though I have ah-eady pointed out some slight differences
in the two shells. Since Adams' discovery of the species,
in this country, it has been found on certain islands in
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as well as in New^ York State.
In the year 1862, Mr. Charles B. Fuller found it in
Maine, near Portland. In some localities near that city,
kn(nvn to have been examined by early collectors without
meeting with it, it \u\s been collected by thousands. At
Oak island, Chelsea, a famous collecting ground of Dr.
Gould, Dr. Binney and others, no evidence of the ex-
istence of this species there is recorded. In the year
1860, Prof. \V. C. Cleveland found it in the greatest
abundance. In this case it can be positively asserted that
the species has been introduced Avithin twenty years.
The collectors of Salem and Lynn had failed to observe its
occurrence in Essex County. Last summer I discovered
the species in great abundance on Lowell island in Salem
harbor. From these evidences it is quite certain that this
minute land shell is being distributed with considerable
rapidity.

It will be found that, as in the case of i)lants, the land
species of mollusks are being widely distributed through
railway traffic. I have often found, at Portland, minute
land shells clino-in^r to firewood that had been brouoht
frorti the interior of the state.

The remarkable rapidity in the diff*usion of Littorina
litorea is of special interest in this connection. This
well-known European species was first observed on this
continent by jNIr. Willis, of Halifax, N. S., many years
ago. Since that time, it has been rapidly and widely dif-
fused alons^ the coast of New Enoland.

In 1870, Mr. Fuller found a few specimens in Portland
harbor, and about the same time at Kemiebuiik in JMaine.

174

It is now found in great abundance along the coast of
Maine.

Before the 3^ear 1872, it had never been observed in
Salem harbor. On the shore of South Salem, a place
where I had repeatedly collected, only a single specimen
was found in the spring of 1872. It is now one of the
most common shells in the harbor of Salem, and actually
swarms in countless numbers in all the inlets in the
vicinity of Salem.

Professor Yerrill, in a note to Silliman's Journal, for
September, 1880, records his observations in regard to its
diffusion, from which we quote the following :

"In 1873, it was collected in abundance at Saco, Me.,
b}^ the U. S. Fish Commission, and was found sparingly
at Peake's island, Casco Bay. In 1872, it was very rare
at Provincetown, Mass., but in 1878, it was common
there. In 1875, it was collected by the writer at Barn-
stahle, iNIass., on the shores of Cape Cod Ba}-, in large
quantities. In 1879, it had become exceedingly abun-
dant at Provincetown. In 1875, our parties found two
specin:iens oidy on the southern shores of Cape Cod at
Wood's Holl, but in 1876, it was found to be common
there, and is now ver}^ abundant. The first specimen,
found so far westward as New Haven, was obtained by
Professor S. I. Smith, duriug the past winter. Other
solitary specimens have since been obtained here by
Mr. E. A. Andrews and by J. H. Emerton. It is at
present exceedingly abundant at Newport, R. I."

In " Science News " for April 15, 1879, Mr. Arthur F.
Gray comments on the occurrence of this species on the
New England coast and gives a large number of places
where it has been collected.

He first found it in Massachusetts, at Danvers, in the
spring of 1872. He also mentions that Prof. J. AV.

175

Chickering, jr., found it at Hampton beach, X. H., in
1871. The following rude map illustrates the gradual
dispersion of this species from Maine southward, with the
year of its occurrence marked at the different places.

EXPLANATION OF MAP.
P., PorUamL Maine; Pkov., Provincetown, Mass; W. H., Wood's Holl.

In 1872, it was observed simultaneously at Salem,
Mass., and Provincetown on the end of Cape Cod. This
Cape seemed to form a barrier for some time to its passage
south, and after rounding the Cape, its progress w^as much
slower. Its occurrence at Wood's Holl being observed in
1875, and only the past year had it got as far as New
Haven.

A study of the ocean currents north of Cape Cod,
which have a southerly course, will account for the rapid
dispersal of this mollusk from Maine to Provincetown,
Mass. ; while the currents which set easterly south of

176

Cape Cod will account for its slower dispersion along the
Connecticut shores.

It seems somewhat remarkable that this mollusk, for so
many years an inhabitant of Nova Scotia and the Bay of
Chaleur, should have been so long finding its way to the
State of Maine. As far back as 1855, I received speci-
mens of this species from Bathurst in the Bay of Chaleur.

The conditions are evidently very favorable for its ex-
istence along our shores, for it has increased in countless
nnmbers, and the species seems to be fully as robust, and
oftentimes exceeding in size its relatives in Europe.

Mr. Gray calls attention to the fjict that this species,
known under the common name of "periwinkle," forms an
abundant supply of food to the poorer classes in Great
Britain and Ireland, and there is no reason why the
poorer classes here should not avail themselves of a mol-
lusk so easily obtained.

Believing that, in past times as at present, the dispersion
of forms took place in similar ways, it is interesting to
look ahead to a time when the present mud and sand of
the shores shall have been converted and consolidated
into stratified rocks with the species entombed in a fossil
condition. We may imagine a future Barrande finding
material for an onslaught on the derivative theory by
pointing to the abundant occurrence of this species in a
narrow bed of rock of the same horizon and occurrinsf
over hundreds of miles of territory, when the beds just
below reveal no vestige of this large and vigorous spe-
cies.

i

Littovina litoiea, Linn.

177

Excursion to New Castle, jST. H., Friday and Satur-
day, September 10 and 11, 1880.

The circulars, that were previously issued, announced
that the excursionists would leave Salem on Thursday,
the 9th inst., at 1.10 p. m., with the proviso of a post-
ponement to the day foUowing, if the weather should be
unfiivorable. Owing to the prevalence of a storm, the de-
parture was deferred, and the party left on Friday, by
the Eastern Railroad, reached Portsmouth at about 2.30,
and at once took carrias^es to New Castle, makino^ the
Wentworth House, their headquarters. At the time of
leaving Salem the weather had not entirely cleared, though
indications were favorable and soon after the arrival at
the place of destination, hopes were realized by the
lightening up of the western sky and a glorious sunset
was observed from the piazza. The effects of the storm
were visible in all directions, — the dashing of the waves
against the rocks, or rolling in on the beaches, — the wreck
of a vessel breaking up, etc. Schooner Eddie F, Ilodg-
f/o?!, wood and slate laden, bound from Bangor to Boston,
was compelled to anchor off Frost's Point, parted her
cables, and the day before at noon drifted ashore, and be-
came a total loss.

An evening session was held in the larcre music room
at 8 o'clock. The President, in his introductory remarks,
spoke of the great pleasure of coming to this old his-
toric town, around which cluster so many interesting
associations connected with the colonial and provincial
periods of our history. These have been well described
in the " Rambles about Portsmouth," by the late Charles
W. Brewster, the first series published in 1859, the sec-
ond in 1869, after the decease of the author. He alluded

ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XII. 12

to the meeting of the Institute held at Kittery, Me., on
the other side of the Piscataqoa river, in Angust, 1867 ;
to visit, among other phices of interest, the mansion once
owned and occupied by Sir William Pepperell, the
wealthy and enterprising merchant of the middle of the
last century, who by his means and individual services
contributed so largely to the capture of Louisburg, and
was rewarded for his success and bravery with a baron-
etcy^ by George II.

In many of the old towns on the New England coast,
the children, from the early settlement to the present
time, have been wont to leave the old homesteads to col-
onize new places, or to seek the centres of trade, com-
merce or manufactures. We find them scattered over
the vast territory extending from ocean to ocean, and
from the Lakes to the Gulf, actively engaged in the
various duties of life. Some visit the home of their an-
cestors and delight to examine the old records, and by
diligent research and careful study endeavor to clothe in
living forms this dead past. The collecting, arranging
and preserving of the old papers and other relics, that
will facilitate these researches, come within the province
of the Institute.

Copies of extracts from some of the old documents in
the office of the Registry of Probate for Essex county,
were read to illustrate their character and the extent of
the valuable material for history that may therefrom be
gleaned.

YiCE President F. W. Putnam was then called upon
and gave a brief account of the Pueblo Indians of New
Mexico and Arizona, illustrating his remarks by a series
of large photographs taken by the government expedi-
tions under Major Powell and Captain Wheeler. These

179

'photographs showed the peculiar character of the houses,
which consist of a number of rooms, placed side by side,
and one over the other in three or four receding stories,
the people living in the upper and outer rooms, while
those which are dark and covered by others are used as
storerooms. He showed how this plan of house-building
had evidently been adopted as a means of defence, and
how strongly fortified a town thus built was before the
days of powder and artillery. The method of entering
these houses was In' })lacing a ladder from the ground to
the roof, and so on from roof to roof. When the lad-
ders Avei-e drawn up, the people were in comparative
safety, and so long as provisions and Wiiter held out they
could easily defend themselves before the days of gun-
powder. These groups of houses often contained from
500 to 1,000 or more people; and while some, like the
Pueblo of Taos, were built on the lowland and sur-
rounded by an earth-wall, as a further means of pro-
tection, others, as the Pueblo of Acoma, were on high
table-lands, or mesas, several hundred feet above the sur-
rounding country, and could only be approached by nar-
row paths, which could I)e easily defended, when bows
and arrows were the principal weapons. Some of these
towns were, however, taken by the early Spanish leaders,
and we have accounts of them as far back as the time of
Coronado, about the middle of the sixteenth century.
The Puel)lo of Acoma, in particular, is interesting from
the fact that it stands to-day, apparently unchanged, as it
was first seen nearly tliree and a half centuries ago. The
Pueblo of Zuni is perha[)s the best known of the southern
towns in Xew Mexico, but as the present Pueblo, or New
Zuni, was built after old Zuiii had l)een taken by the
Spaniards, it is of comparativel}^ modern origin, although
the people have, to a consideral)le extent, retained the

180

purity of their customs. The Pueblo of Taos, near the
Rio Grande, has been often visited and described.

About Santa Fe, on both sides of the Rio Grande, there
are many old pueblos, some of which are in ruins, while
others have been, in great part, changed to Spanish-Mexi-
can towns. In a few, however, the original inhabitants
are still in the ascendancy. In many of the canons and
smaller valleys, and on many a mesa in Xew Mexico, Col-
orado and Arizona, as well as in southern Utah, and also
to the south in ]\Iexico, there are numerous ruins of once
extensive towns, many of which have been described in
the accounts of the various military and exploring expe-
ditions. The " seven cities of Cibola," discovered by Cor-
onado, have often been mentioned, and some writers have
supposed them to refer to the ruins found by Lieut. Simp-
son in the Chaco canon, a tributary of the San Juan,
but the lecturer was inclined to argue with those writers
who placed these "seven cities" in the region about, and
including, old Zuui.

The hundreds of ruins which are now known, including
the singular cliif-houses or fastnesses, furnish the evidence
of the former greatness of the pueblo people, and their
wide distribution over a region which was pr<)bal)ly once
better adapted than now for the support of human lifo.

The lecturer then gave an account of the arts of the
pueblo people, calling particular attention to the char-
acter of the pottery, of which he exhibited a nuniljer of
specimens. This pottery differs Avidely from that found in
the mounds and in other parts of the country to the east
of the pueblo region, and is of a better type. That found
about the ruins and belonging to the early period is baked
harder, and in structure and ornament is far superior to
that now made at the pueblos on the Rio Grande. That
made at Zufii, and the other southern pueblos, is more

181

like the old. The ornamentation is in color, generally
black on white, or on red ; occasionally a piece is found
among the old fragments that has a glossy, bronze-like
color. The decoration on the old pottery is principally
made up of zigzag or geometrical figures ; occasionally
curved lines and scrolls were used. On the pottery now

Fig. 1.

<

Coil-made Jar from an Adobe Ruin in Southern Utah.
From a Specimen in the Peabody Museum.

made at the pueblos on the Rio Grande, the ornamentation
is more often black on a red ground, and many figures
derived from contact with civilization have been intro-
duced. On the recent pottery, animals are often rudely
represented. The recent pottery is not so well baked
as the old, and is in every way of an inferior character.
A common method of making one kind of the oldest

W2

pottery was by coiling the baiicls of clay upon themselves,
and leaving the edges projecting. Pottery of this char-
acter is often farther decorated by pinching the edges,
or by marking with the linger nail, or with a stick. A jar
made in this way is shown in the engraving here intro-

FlG. 2.

Patterns on Ancient Pueblo Pottery from the San Juan Valley.
From Specimens in the Peabody Museum.

duced\ fig. 1 ; and some of the common forms of orna-
ment on the smooth pottery are shown on the fragments
represented by fig. 2.

iTliese illustrations were prepared for an article on Pueblo pottery in the Art
Review, and by the kindness of the publishers of that journal, Messrs. Estes &
Lauriat, of Boston, their use is allowed in this place.

183

After Mr. Putnam had closed his remarks, the company
adjourned to the j'^arlors where several choice selections
of vocal and instrumental music were tinelj^ rendered by
meral)ers of the Salem Oratorio Society and the Salem
Schubert Club.

Ox Saturday morning the sun rose clear and bright,
and the party during the forenoon rambled about in
various directions as inclination dictated. Several inter-
esting places were visited : Odiorne's Point where M.
Champlain landed in 1605, and the place selected by the
Laconia company for the site of the lirst building erected
on the grant, and it should therefore be venerated bv
every citizen of Xew Hampshire for the associations that
cluster around this beginning of the state. At Frost's
Point a fort was built soon after the settlement called
Fort AVilliam and Mary; in 1775 fortifications were
thrown up, and in the fort a company of artillery was
stationed. In 1808, it was rebuilt under the name of
Fort Constitution and remained until a new structure was
commenced in 1863.

The lighthouse, the village, the village church, the burial
ground, — were all noticed. New Castle is situated at the
mouth of the Piscataqua river, at the entrance of Ports-
mouth harbor, some three miles from the cit}', formerly
known as " Great Island.'^ It Avas settled in 1623 and
was a part of Portsmouth. In 1693 it was incorporated
under its present name. The charter under the seal of
William and Mary, written on parchment in old English
black letter, is said to be still in the archives of the
town. This was the home of the Jeffreys, Atkinsons,
of John Frost who married Mary, sister of Sir William
Pepperell, a family of the Prescotts and other honored
names.

184

At 3 p. M., adieu was said to mine host of the Wentworth
House; the delightful situation, picturesque scenery and
surroundings, with first-class hotel appointments, have
given to this house a prominent place among .the seaside
resorts of New England. On the way to the railroad
station in the city, tarried for an hour at an old mansion,

THE HOMESTEAD OF GoV. BeNNIXG WeNTWORTH,

who built it in 1750, and occupied it until the termination
of his commission in 1767. Situated at Little Harbor
about two miles from the centre of Portsmouth near the
bank of the river, it commands an extensive view of
Portsmouth, the navy yard, and adjacent and opposite
shores.

Mr. William P. Israel, the present owner, conducted
the party through the several apartments, pointing out the
various objects of interest and referring briefly to some
of the old historical associations. The following may be
specified :

The council chamber, finished in the best style of the
last century, an imposing and high-studded room, where
meetings of the council were held, for many years ; also
the little side rooms. Ascending a short flight of steps
is the spacious parlor, rich in its original finish.

In these various rooms were collected many interesting
and curious objects ; pictures, a spinet, furniture, etc., that
would require considerable time to, carefully, examine.
The most notable of the pictures was a painting, by Cop-
ley, of Dorothy Quincy, who became the wife of John
Hancock, and afterwards Madam Scott.

Leaving the old mansion, the party proceeded to the
cars and took the 5 o'clock train for Salem, arriving at
6.35 in the evening.

3 2044 106 258 908

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